Intrigue
by Musicera
Summary: Gajeel's been assigned to guard duty for Master Jose's many business trips to the Heartfilia Estate. What he didn't expect was to get caught up with the man's daughter. Intrigue, lust and romance are all possibilities when you mix iron and stars. GaLu; Gajeel x Lucy; Gajucy.
1. Chapter 1

**Intrigue**

 **. . .**

Gajeel kept pace with Jose as the pair walked through the front gate of the Heartfilia Estate. The pathway up to the manor must have been nearly a mile long and Gajeel rolled his eyes as they walked past perfectly manicured gardens. _"Fucking rich people,"_ he thought.

He flexed his shoulders as they finally approached the grand house. Looking up at the structure, the dark haired mage noticed the intricate stone columns rising three stories high into towering peaks. His attention was drawn away from the structure as his Guild Master reached up and grasped the large brass rings on the door.

As soon as the first click sounded, the grand oak door swung open revealing an exceedingly well-dressed man. "Welcome to the Heartfilia Estate," he said, bowing slightly before motioning the two to enter.

Gajeel rolled his eyes at the formality of everything. Ever since Jose had made him his de facto bodyguard, he had been forced to accompany the Guild Master to more and more uncomfortable business meetings. It grated on his nerves but he was learning to just keep his mouth shut. That didn't mean he had to like it.

"The Master will receive you in his study," the butler said, once again motioning for the pair to follow him. Gajeel watched their surroundings carefully as they walked through the foyer. Rich silk cloth lined covered the walls on their path to the study. _"This whole place is so overdone,"_ Gajeel thought to himself. _"Fucking rich bastards hoarding all their money so they can put clothes on their goddamn walls."_

"Master Heartfilia is just through here," the butler indicated as the trio arrived into another foyer.

"Thank you," Jose replied with a sweeping bow. "My attendant will wait out here."

The butler bowed, directing the Guild Master behind another set of large oak doors before leaving. "Jude Heartfilia!" Gajeel heard Jose say in a boisterous tone before the doors muffled the sound of the pairs brown nosing.

 _"Attendant,"_ Gajeel sneered internally at the way Jose referred to him. He owed the man a lot, to be sure. Jose had found Gajeel in the woods living on scraps he found in dumpsters after running away from the orphanage when he was just a child. He had taken him in, taught him how to fight and given him a purpose but still, " _I'm no one's fucking attendant."_

Gajeel surveyed the large hall with some disinterest. The chances that someone would attempt to attack the Guild Master inside the Heartfilia estate was slim to none, but he was a creature of habit. His crimson eyes moved from each corner as his mind calculated where threats could surface and how he might defend the Guild Master if necessary. His eye ticked slightly as he considered the large columns creating hideaway nooks. _"Once again, designed for looks rather than functionality."_

But as he gaze moved across the last corner, he noticed movement behind the column. A flash of pink was all he saw and anyone without his heightened senses would have missed it, but he was on it in a second.

Crouching low, he rushed forward, his boots silent on the marble floor. Within seconds he had the intruder pinned against a column, his right forearm pressing against her neck as he transformed the medal in his arm into spikes that reached dangerously close to her neck. He felt the intruder breathe air in to scream and he quickly brought his left hand up to cover her mouth as he pushed his body into hers further to pin her down.

Having successfully restrained the trespasser, he took stock of whom it was he was facing. Crimson eyes widened uncharacteristically as large brown eyes stared back at him. The fingers of his left hand flexed as he realized it was pressed against a pair of soft, plump lips. His body tensed as he felt the silk and lace of the pink dress pressed against him.

"Who are you?" he finally asked, loosening the fingers of his left hand slightly.

"Lucy Heartfilia."

. . .

"You're not to leave your room when the Guild Master from Phantom Lord arrives," Jude said dismissively as Lucy stood before him in his study.

"Yes, father," the daughter responded with a heaping dose of attitude. She swept a piece of bright blonde hair that had escaped the perfect bun sitting atop her head back into its prison with a white gloved hand.

"Lucy," her father admonished with a raised eyebrow.

Lucy internally rolled her eyes. "Apologies, father," she said in an equally exasperated tone. "Sometimes this corset squeezes me so tightly, I know now what I'm saying," she said, referring to the bright pink dress that was her daily wardrobe.

"It's a good thing you won't be receiving our guest. With an attitude like that, I'd be embarrassed to introduce you as my daughter," her father replied, his eyes fixed on the folders in front of him.

Lucy couldn't hold back to scoff. "No doubt this particular gentleman isn't of noble enough blood to warrant a marriage proposal."

Jude looked up briefly to consider his daughter before finally saying, "Enough, you're dismissed." Lucy bowed clumsily before walking through the oversized doors, not caring that the oak slammed behind her.

 _"Who the hell does he think he is, telling me to stay locked in my room like I'm some prisoner?"_ Lucy fumed as she paced the foyer outside her father's study. _"I don't trust it. I bet the reason he doesn't want me around is because he's up to something less than legal."_ Lucy had heard of Phantom and their reputation was less than gilded.

As she heard Claude directing their guests towards where she was standing, curiosity got the better of her and she slipped silently into one of the darkened corners behind a column.

She peered out from her hiding place as Claude opened the door to her father's study and directed one of the men inside. He was an odd looking man with an interesting appearance. Purple hair framed a narrow face, matching the oversized cape he was sporting. "Master Heartfilia is just through here," she heard Claude say.

"Thank you. My attendant shall wait out here." That was the Guild Master. As her father stepped forward, she heard this man boom his name and waited for the door to click shut behind them.

She watched from the corner of her eye as Claude exited the space, waiting for his footsteps to disappear down the hallway before she risked another look from behind the protection of the column. Holding her breath, she finally peered out from behind the structure to look at the man who had accompanied the Guild Master.

Even from her limited vantage point she could see he was tall—easily over six feet. Black hair was pulled back off his forehead and fell in waves down his back. Billowing khaki trousers were tucked into heavy combat boots and Lucy could see thick cords of muscle stretched along his arms, which were dotted with metal piercings. Simply put, he seemed dark, fierce and animalistic—so very different than the types of men Lucy was used to. Wanting to get a closer look, she risked learning out from behind the column further and internally cursed as she watched the large ruffles of her skirt slide forward, exposing her location.

Lucy didn't have a moment to process what had happened before she felt a strong body pressing her against the stone. Before she could even draw breath to scream, a hand came up to cover her mouth as his forearm pressed against her throat.

Lucy's brown eyes widened as his crimson stared back at her. For a moment he seemed frozen, almost as if he was taken off guard. "Who are you?" he finally asked in a deep voice.

His fingers loosened against her mouth slightly so that Lucy could speak. "Lucy Heartfilia."

. . .

"Fuck," Gajeel cursed as the girl announced who she was. He quickly stepped back, releasing her. As he did so, the warmth of her body left him and he crossed his arms to hide the slight shiver that moved through him. "You spying on your old man?"

The blonde huffed. "What? I—," she stumbled over her words. "I'm a member of this household. I don't need to spy."

"Sure thing, bunny," the dark man laughed.

"Bunny?"

Gajeel walked back to the front of the room, wanting to keep an eye on the entrance to the study and Lucy followed. "Yeah," he said, leaning against the wall beside one of the doors. "Locked in a cage and wearing something fluffy."

"Hilarious," Lucy said, rolling her eyes. "It's not like I want to be in this situation."

"Must be so hard, being as rich as you are," Gajeel almost sneered.

"Yeah well. Every situation has its own set of unique problems," Lucy said, her words trailing off slightly. "So are you just the Guild Master's dog then?"

The dark mage growled low. "I ain't no dog."

Lucy had hit a nerve and she couldn't help but press it. "Walked on a leash and made to wait for his Mater."

"Careful bunny," Gajeel said in a menacing tone.

Lucy huffed, before taking a seat on the ground in the middle of the foyer. "Jeez, can't take a joke," she said before falling back to lay out with her arms spread wide. "What's your name anyways?"

"You often just go around laying down on floors?" the man said with an almost chuckle.

Lucy shrugged her shoulders. "When you're forced to be formal on an almost nonstop basis, meeting someone you can relax with is a rare treat." She snapped her fingers. "Name?"

Her words shocked her. No one had ever said they felt like they could relax around him. If anything, people had expressed the opposite. Gajeel nodded. "Gajeel Redfox." He hesitated before finally adding, "Sorry for earlier, by the way."

Lucy giggled. "Are you kidding? That was the most thrill I've had in my entire life," she said with excitement in her voice. She lifted her hands above her head. "As you've probably already been able to tell, life around here is incredibly boring."

Gajeel chuckled. "Prolly because the house is too big. No one has to bicker for their own space."

Lucy sighed. "Yeah, it's pretty lonely just being me and the old man."

Gajeel's eyes widened. "You're the only two people that live in this fucking castle?"

Lucy giggled at his foul language. "Yeah. I mean the servants are here during the day but they have quarters on another area of the estate."

"Geez," Gajeel said. _"This girl's house has its own house."_

"So, what do you think the two farts are in there talking about anyways?" Lucy asked, not really expecting Gajeel to know.

As anticipated, the dark mage shrugged his shoulders. "No clue, and don't really care anyways."

Lucy propped herself up on her elbows to consider the man in front of her. "So, what is it you do anyways?"

Gajeel narrowed his eyes. "Why you wanna know?"

Lucy motioned dramatically to the empty hallways. "Cause I'm always bored, remember?" she huffed.

Gajeel chuckled. "I'm a mage. So I do mage stuff."

Lucy jumped to her feet, running towards the man to stand in front of his dark combat boots. "You're a mage? Really? I've never been able to have a conversation with one before. Tell me everything!" Lucy knew that technically she was a mage but she wasn't anything like the mages she read about in Sorcerer's Weekly.

"Slow down, bunny," the man said. "What's got you all excited?"

"You!" she exclaimed and Gajeel couldn't help but feel his pride swell slightly. "You see, my mother was a celestial mage and she passed a few keys down to me. But other than that, I don't really know any true magic.

Gajeel shrugged his shoulders. "I'd say being able to summon spirits is pretty real magic."

"Meh," Lucy said of herself dismissively. "So what type of magic do you use?"

Gajeel considered the girl in front of him before finally saying, "Dragon Slaying magic."

Lucy's eyes widened. "So do you know the Salamander of Fairy Tail? I read about him in Sorcerer's Weekly. I think he's a dragon slayer too."

Gajeel tisked. "Fuck that guy, stupid fairies," he said, closing up a bit. "Why do you read that garbage magazine anyways?"

Lucy threw up her hands. "What else am I going to do with my time? Besides," she said in an exasperated tone, "It's the only magazine that covers wizards."

Gajeel thought about what she was saying for a minute before nodding his head. "Okay, I get that."

Lucy was about to say something else but Gajeel shushed her. "They're approaching the door. Better get out of here unless you want to get in trouble," he warned.

"Damn," she cursed and Gajeel raised the corner of his lips into a slight smile. Before he had a chance to push her away, Lucy invaded his space, moving in close and planting a kiss on his cheek. He reveled in the feeling of her body close to his just for that split second before she pulled back. "Thanks for the conversation, Gajeel. I really enjoyed myself," and before the iron dragonslayer had a chance to respond, the girl was running down the hallway, her pink skirts billowing behind her.

END CHAPTER 1

. . .

 **Hello lovers!**

 **Welcome to another fanfic! I know, I can't help myself. I always need to have about three going at the same time apparently. This will be a GaLu which is something I've never written before so we'll see how it turns out.**

 **I'm hoping that this won't become such a serious and intense fic like Swipe Right did, but it's me so who knows.**

 **Thanks for being along for the ride! Love you all!**

 **Mus**

*"The past cannot be changed. The future is yet in your fanfiction."


	2. Chapter 2

**Appearances**

. . .

 _Lucy was about to say something else but Gajeel shushed her. "They're approaching the door. Better get out of here unless you want to get in trouble," he warned._

 _"Damn," she cursed and Gajeel raised the corner of his lips into a slight smile. Before he had a chance to push her away, Lucy invaded his space, moving in close and planting a kiss on his cheek. He reveled in the feeling of her body close to his just for that split second before she pulled back. "Thanks for the conversation, Gajeel. I really enjoyed myself," and before the iron dragonslayer had a chance to respond, the girl was running down the hallway, her pink skirts billowing behind her._

. . .

"You seem a little off today," Kageyama said to his partner as they walked away from a groaning pile of mages, each of them on the floor grasping various injuries.

Kageyama tucked the wooden flute the pair had stolen into his inside white coat jacket pocket before turning back to Gajeel.

"Come again?" Gajeel said with dangerous eyes.

Kageyama had worked with the brute before. Gajeel was easily the strongest in the guild, there was no disputing that, but the iron dragon slayer's physical magic had a hard time competing with Kageyama's shadows. At the very least, Kageyama didn't have to worry about getting hit given his ability to shift into shadows.

"You got balls saying somethin' like that to me, kid," Gajeel responded, taking a piece of iron out of his pocket to throw into his mouth.

Kageyama shuddered at the sound of Gajeel's crunching. "Was just trying to make sure my partner's okay, that's all," Kageyama said in a bit of a defeated voice.

"If you wanna survive in Phantom Lord, you better get any expectation of caring out your head now, understand?" Gajeel said in a gruff voice.

"Yeah, whatever," Kageyama said, hunching his shoulders. "Let's just get this thing back to the Master before the Rune Knights come after us."

Gajeel nodded his head in agreement.

. . .

A few hours later found the iron slayer returning home to his house outside Oak Town. Kicking his boots off, he opened his fridge and grabbed a beer. Popping the cap, he took a long drink before leaning against the counter. The kid's words were getting to him, mainly because he knew they were true. Gajeel had been off his game every since he'd come back from the Heartfilia estate a week ago.

"Fucking princess getting under my skin," he muttered under his breath. The blonde girl had been plaguing his dreams and the man hadn't had a good night sleep for several days.

Finishing the rest of his beer, he moved to the bathroom attached to his master bedroom. It had taken him some time to refine his iron into the steel used throughout the room but it had been worth it. Turning on the shower, he discarded his clothing before stepping into the spray.

He let the hot water wash away the day's grime before leaning against the tile and sighing. As soon as he closed his eyes, he could see the girl, lying on the floor, her ridiculous skirts spread around her, talking to him as if he were a friend before finally jumping up to plant a kiss on his cheek and running off.

What bothered him more was why he allowed her to get so close to him. He never let anyone invade his personal space that way and yet, when she approached him, placing her hands against his shoulders, he didn't push her away. He simply couldn't understand his moment of weakness.

Turning off the water, he stepped onto the mat, drying his chiseled frame with a towel before putting on a clean pair of boxers. Moving to his bedroom, he climbed into bed, exhausted from the day, his thoughts clouded by visions of bright blonde hair.

. . .

"Mistress, are you okay?" the teacher asked.

"Huh? What?" Lucy said, blinking her eyes open.

"This is the second time you've fallen asleep during our lesson," her teacher explained. "We're lucky I was able to catch the violin each time you dropped it."

"Oh," Lucy said, looking at the petite woman. "I'm sorry. I've just been so tired lately."

"Some reason why?" the teacher asked, packing up the instrument.

Lucy shrugged her shoulders. "Just can't seem to fall asleep at night."

The teacher didn't ask any further questions, much to Lucy's relief. "We'll pick up next week. Hopefully you'll be better rested then," the teacher said before leaving the room.

Lucy nodded, curtsying as the instructor left. "Thank you, ma'am. Sorry ma'am," Lucy said, holding back a yawn.

Dragging herself down the long corridor and back to her room, Lucy barely had enough energy to step out of her dress before climbing into bed. It had been a week since her conversation with Gajeel and ever since, he had been appearing in her dreams every night. It never took long for her to fall asleep, but she never awoke feeling particularly rested.

She'd been hoping that the mage might appear again. The odd Guild Master she could do without, but her conversation with Gajeel had been such a relief from the drudgery of her every day that she yearned for the next time they might meet.

With that thought in mind, her eyes closed shut as she entered a fitful bout of sleep.

. . .

"Cancel your afternoon missions today," Jose said to the Iron Dragonslayer, "We're heading out for a meeting."

Gajeel nodded his understanding. Jose never told him ahead of time when he might be needed for bodyguard service. As the pair exited the Guildhall, they took their respective seats in one of the Guild cars. Gajeel pulled out the lacrima key, pushing it into the car to both power the engine and start the ignition. "Where to, Boss?" he gruffed.

"Heartfilia Estate," the master responded.

Gajeel nodded his head, turning left out of the driveway to head to the outskirts of town. "This gonna be a regular thing, then?" he inquired of his leader.

"Potentially," Jose responded, ever the one to be untrusting.

Gajeel got the message that the boss didn't want to elaborate and merely nodded his head without saying any more. As they drove outside of the city, the buildings thinned as the trees got thicker. The two drove in silence, giving Gajeel's thoughts plenty of time to get on his nerves.

His thoughts continuously drifted towards the girl and he grew increasingly agitated that he couldn't seem to stop thinking about her. Feeling out of control was not something that Gajeel enjoyed or had much practice with.

The forest began to thin as the car crested a hill, the Heartfilia Estate sprawled over its hundreds of acres before them. The weird mess of emotion grew stronger and stronger as the pair approached the estate until finally, they were walking to the front door.

. . .

A knock roused Lucy out of her midday nap and she blinked her eyes open before sitting up in bed. Her hair was a mess from her tossing and turning and she felt stifled in the undergarments she was still wearing when she had all but passed out after her lessons.

"Mistress?" her maid said with a timid voice, stepping into the room.

"Hm?" was all Lucy could muster in terms of a response.

"I've been asked by your father to tell you, you are not to leave your room while he receives company," the woman said with a small voice, as if she knew what Lucy's reaction would be. The mousy woman shifted in her stance as she kept her eyes fixed to the floor.

Lucy managed to make sense of the words in her head after a few seconds and she leapt off her bed in a huff. "This is ridiculous!" Lucy bounded for the door of her bedroom and her maid squeaked as she grabbed the handle.

"Mistress! Your clothes!" she managed to say.

Lucy looked down at her state of dress and realized she was only half dressed. She turned, looking at the crumpled pile of boning and petticoat on her floor and groaned. Her large chocolate eyes narrowed as she stomped into her closet.

It was more of a small apartment than a closet really and Lucy hated it. The entire thing was full of oversized dresses, skirts, petticoats, corsets, and heels, each one of them more impractical than the next. She hurried to the corner of one of the shelves and pulled back the tulle that invaded the space. Her maid watched with wide eyes from the entrance to the closet as the heiress pulled back a piece of the closet floor and revealed a small collection of rather normal looking clothing.

"I'm tired of dressing like some sort of upside down cupcake," Lucy huffed, throwing on a rather normal looking fit and flare dress and pairing it with a pair of low profile sneakers. "There," she said, patting the skirt down.

The little maid's eyes opened wide. "Mistress, where did you get those clothes?"

Lucy shot her a knowing look. "I have my ways. Besides, it's not like father pays real attention to what I do." The little woman gulped, twisting mousy brown hair around her finger nervously. Lucy could sense her anxiety and added in, "Nothing's going to happen to you, trust me, okay?"

The woman looked at the blonde uncertainly but nodded her head. Feeling more like herself, Lucy headed towards her bedroom door, intent on giving her father a piece of her mind. The rubber soles of her sneakers rubbed against the marble floors, making little squeaks with every step she took and she couldn't help but smile. She'd just turned eighteen after all. If her father felt like she was old enough to be married off, then she was old enough to choose her own damn clothing.

"Father!" she exclaimed, almost running into the man as he stepped outside the library, no doubt heading for the library a few doors down the hallway.

"Lucy! What are you doing out of your room?" The man bristled, running a hand through his dirty blonde hair. "I'll have to speak with that maid about following orders. What is her name?" he pondered, attempting to push Lucy aside in search for his next target.

"Father! This has nothing to do with her! I need you to listen to me!" Lucy said desperately, her plans of confronting her father not living up to her expectations.

The man fixed his harsh gaze back on his daughter. "I don't have time to deal with you now. We have guests arriving and—" he paused, taking in his daughter's appearance. His lip curled. "And you are certainly not dressed to be seen by anyone."

"I'm not just going to be a prisoner in my own home anymore!" Lucy exclaimed, trying to recapture control over the conversation.

Her father ignored her, calling for their butler. "Claude!" Jude tapped his foot impatiently when nothing but silence greeted his ears.

"Father!" Lucy tried once more.

"Enough, Lucy!" the man said harshly, his voice echoing through the hallway. The sound of footsteps could be heard and both father and daughter turned towards the sound.

Claude emerged into the foyer, followed by two guests. Lucy's gaze immediately fell on Gajeel and she tried to hide her blush as the man's eyes met hers. Jude's demeanor changed instantly as he rushed to great the smaller, odd looking man. "Jose!" he said, clasping the man's hand tightly.

"So good to see you, Jude," the man responded in a somewhat slipper voice before turning his attention to Lucy. "I don't believe we've met?" he said with a question, clearly looking for Judge to give him an introduction.

Jude cleared his throat, obviously uncomfortable at the entire situation. "Ah, yes. My mistake. This is my daughter, Lucy," he said.

Lucy tried not to grimace as the man approached her and took her hand, laying a kiss to it. "There's no way someone as beautiful as this could be related to you, Jude," he said with a teasing tone, continuing to stare at Lucy.

The daughter smiled uncomfortably, but before she could respond, her father cleared his throat. "She gets her looks from her mother, for sure. Shall we?" he said, gesturing to his office.

"And leave a woman such as this unaccompanied."

"I was planning a walk through the gardens. Not to worry," Lucy said, attempting to pull her hand out of the man's grasp.

"That simply won't do. Gajeel," he barked and the iron dragonslayer took a few steps forward. "Perhaps you could accompany Ms. Heartfilia?"

"Whatever," Gajeel said with a bored look.

"Fabulous!" Jose exclaimed, finally releasing Lucy's hand. "Jude and I will talk business in the meantime." Judge looked uncomfortable but knew he couldn't fight it. As Jose passed Gajeel he whispered, "I want you to learn as much as you can about her." Gajeel nodded quickly and with that, the two older men closed themselves behind large doors, leaving the unlikely pair behind.

END CHAPTER 2

. . .

 **I promise not to let this sit without an update for as long as I did the last chapter! This chapter fought me to the point where I considered a rewrite but I think I'm finally wrangling the personalities of all the characters to where I need them to be!**

 **Things should be developing a bit more quickly from here! Thanks for all your love and support!**

 **Mus**


	3. Chapter 3

**Walks**

. . .

 _"Fabulous!" Jose exclaimed, finally releasing Lucy's hand. "Jude and I will talk business in the meantime." Judge looked uncomfortable but knew he couldn't fight it. As Jose passed Gajeel he whispered, "I want you to learn as much as you can about her." Gajeel nodded quickly and with that, the two older men closed themselves behind large doors, leaving the unlikely pair behind._

. . .

Lucy looked uncertainly at Gajeel. She had never been _allowed_ to be alone with a man before, although she figured her father was likely fuming inside right now.

"So, which way is it to the gardens?" Gajeel asked in a somewhat perturbed voice.

"Well don't feel obligated to take me," Lucy said, matching her tone to his.

Gajeel just rolled his eyes. "Come on, show me which way and we'll talk."

Lucy twisted her lips but finally said, "okay," before leading the hulking man through a maze of corridors to the back of the house. Gajeel's eyes widened slightly as he and Lucy stepped outside the house. The pair exited through large glass doors that opened up to a stunning patio that overlooked the mountains behind them. To their right was a crystal clear inground pool complete with fountains and what looked to be a Jacuzzi where hot water fell in a waterfall into the main lap area.

Flowers lined the path that took a guest away from the pool area and over to the gardens. A circular gazebo was the first stop that he could see on the path into the gardens that seemed to blanket several acres of the property. "Fuck," Gajeel said. "Waste enough money on all this shit?"

Lucy just shrugged her shoulders. "You know how it is with rich people. One person goes to the other's mansion and sees that that person as a waterfall and then within a week we've got a waterfall. No one ever uses the damn thing though," she added.

Gajeel raised an eyebrow at her and lifted a corner of his mouth. He rather enjoyed the fact that the girl understood how ridiculous all of this was. Considering her upbringing, that was something rather unexpected but very much appreciated.

"Shall we?" she said, starting off on the flowery path by herself, completely bypassing the gazebo. Within a few steps, Gajeel had caught up to her and she slowed down so the two could talk. "So Phantom Lord, huh?" Lucy said. "How'd you end up with that Guild?"

"Long story. Not interested in relaying it," Gajeel responded simply.

"This evening's going to be somewhat difficult if you refuse to carry on a conversation," Lucy huffed.

Gajeel shrugged his shoulders. "Oh, I don't know if that's so true. Can't we just enjoy," he paused, "whatever the hell these plants are?"

Lucy giggled. She had truly missed speaking with the big mage. "I kinda missed you," she admitted aloud. She winced slightly as she heard the words leave her mouth—they sounded a lot dumber out loud than they did in her head.

Gajeel froze slightly. She missed him? No one had ever said they missed him. Most people said they didn't even want to be around him. He took a deep breath. This girl was getting into his head and he was rather hoping that he might get a bit of sleep this week, unlike last week. "You'd be the first," he finally responded.

The pair continued walking through the gardens, the hedges slowly getting higher in height, making their walk more and more private. "I can't believe that," Lucy giggled. "You're Black Steel Gajeel! I bet you're a sensation around town."

Gajeel actually chuckled at that. "Hardly. Most people are scared of me."

Lucy stopped and thought for a second. "I guess that makes sense," she admitted.

"Oh yeah?" Gajeel said, turning to consider the girl in front of him.

"Well, Phantom Lord is known for being an edgier Guild," she reasoned. "Plus, you've definitely got this bad boy attitude going on. So I could see people giving you a wide berth."

"And what about you? You scared of me?" Gajeel asked, hating the fact that he was genuinely interested.

"Nah," Lucy said nonchalantly.

Gajeel furrowed his brow, unsure of why the girl wasn't taking anything seriously.

"And why's that?"

Lucy turned to look at him. "'Cause I'm just not. I dunno. I'd say you intrigue me more than you scare me," she admitted.

Gajeel moved towards her, caging her against the wall of green behind her. "You sure you're not scared of me? I could give you a reason to be." He said the words under his breath, his mouth close to her neck and she shivered involuntarily.

"Like I said," she said with slightly heated breaths, "I'm intrigued, not scared."

Gajeel intended to move back from the woman, but her scent, so close to her like this, was completely overwhelming his senses. He inhaled her deeply, not moving from where he stood. Lucy stood still as the man invaded her space more and more. He was inches away from her neck and his hot breath was sending shivers down her back in a way that both excited and slightly aroused her. She'd meant what she said—the man did not scare her. For some reason, he seemed familiar, in a way that she had never felt around a stranger before.

His hands moved of their own accord, placing themselves on the girl's hips, pinning her further against the surface behind her. "I intrigue you?"

"Very much so," she said in a hushed voice. Her lips quivered as she said the words as the iron slayer's hands moved further and further up her body. Unlike with her corseted dresses, she could feel the warmth of his hands on her figure. Her brain was short-circuiting. She knew it and she was okay with it.

It felt like an eternity but his lips finally made contact with her skin. First grazing against her collarbone before finally moving their way across her neck and jaw. She shivered, waiting patiently under the man's slow movements before he finally brushed his lips against hers. When she whimpered slightly, he responded, his lips pressing firmly against hers and she moaned at the contact. His tongue pressed against her seam, asking for entry and she granted it, parting her lips so that they might taste each other more fully.

Lucy reached her hands up, encircling them around his solid neck and shoulders and he responded by moving himself closer to her body, pushing his firmness into her soft curves. He moved slowly, knowing he shouldn't be doing what he was doing but also not being able to stop himself.

He desperately wanted to lay the girl down so he could more easily explore her body. The branches of the shrubbery behind them were making it somewhat difficult to do with her as he pleased. He broke away just briefly enough to reach down, picking the girl up so that she was straddling his hips, his hands cupping her rear firmly. She squeaked at suddenly being lifted into the air but understood when he moved them to a nearby bench.

Sitting down himself, Lucy stayed atop his lap, straddling him with her knees on either side of his heavily muscled legs. He didn't know whether she was pushing her core into his on purpose but he groaned at the contact, diving back in to kiss the girl with abandon.

Lucy felt herself falling deeper and deeper into this man. She knew this was dangerous—she knew _he_ was dangerous, but she didn't care. This was the first time she felt truly alive and she wasn't going to be the one to cut it short. She resisted the urge to throw her head back when his hands came up to cup her breasts over her dress, opting instead not to break their kiss but encourage his movements through her moans.

"I wonder how far the pair wandered off," a voice said several hundred feet off. Gajeel nearly growled in frustration, knowing that their tryst was fast coming to an end.

"Lucy," he said softly, pulling back from her lips regretfully. She tried to follow his movements but he held her still, shaking his head. "Your father."

Her brown eyes, so heavily clouded with lust, began to clear and widen as the words sank in. Quickly she climbed off the iron slayer's lap, brushing her dress down and trying to right her hair as best as she could. Gajeel sighed heavily, resigned to his fate and adjusted himself in his pants but stayed seated to let his erection calm. He was rather glad that he was wearing billowing trousers. Had he been wearing a tighter fit of pants, the tent would have been rather obvious.

By the time the host and his guest reached the two, Lucy was clear across the path and somewhat ahead of Gajeel, smelling a rosebush and pretending to be entranced by it. Gajeel stayed lounging on the bench, looking completely bored.

"There you are!" Jose exclaimed, as he ran towards Lucy to grab her hand. The girl visibly grimaced and Gajeel had to grit his teeth as he held himself back from lunging at his Guildmaster. Jose had done a great deal for him, but seeing the man all over his Lucy was something a bit difficult to stomach.

The fact that he was thinking of her in such a way dawned on him and he tried to shake the thoughts out of his head. _"Get a grip, Black Steel,"_ he reasoned with himself. _"She's just a girl. One with an incredible fucking body and scent but just a girl."_

Jose leaned over the blonde's hand and placed a kiss on it and Lucy internally blanched. "Such a beautiful rose by a beautiful rosebush," he commented, obviously trying his best to flirt and failing miserably.

"You're too kind—really," Lucy said flatly as she tried to pull away but the man had wrapped her arm around his so that she had no way to escape.

"Your father and I had an excellent talk, Lucy. I expect we shall be seeing more of each other real soon," he remarked and Lucy looked at the back of her father's head as they made their way back to the house. Gajeel followed behind the pair and narrowed his eyes at the Master's words.

"You don't say?" Lucy said in a somewhat irritated tone.

"Oh, but don't you worry about any of that!" Jose exclaimed. "Plenty of time for plans to be made. I'm sure your father will fill you in on all the details as they unfold."

The foursome entered the threshold to the house where Claude was waiting. "Claude, please see our guests to the exit." The butler bowed and signaled for the Phantom pair to follow him.

Jose turned towards Lucy. "Until next time," he said with another kiss to her hand and Lucy tried her best to smile, but knew it looked more like a grimace. The odd man turned to follow Claude as did Gajeel but Lucy rushed forward, grabbing at Gajeel's arm.

The iron slayer turned, somewhat startled at the girl's bold move in front of the other two men and somewhat worried about whether what she was about to do would cause him large problems with Jose. "Thank you for our walk through the gardens, Gajeel," she said simply.

Gajeel met her eyes with his and her gaze told him all he needed to know. He nodded, not saying anything before turning to exit the estate. As soon as the two left the space, Lucy turned to her father and addressed him. "Just what details do you need to fill me in on?"

Jude lifted a hand, waving it as if to dismiss her request. "Nothing has been finalized yet. You'll know when and if you need to." He narrowed his eyes at her. "Now go and change out of that hideous cloth you call a dress. I don't want to see you wearing such things again? Do you understand me?"

Lucy stood there, her hands on her hips, feeling strangely stronger after her small tryst with Gajeel. "Apologies, father," she said with a bit of a curl to her lip, "But as a woman of age, I'll choose what clothes to wear from now on."

Jude raised an eyebrow and turned away from his daughter. "Then I'll instruct the staff that you are not to leave your rooms. Don't forget that you live under my roof, no matter your age." Jude walked into his office, closing the door and leaving Lucy still standing there.

END CHAPTER 3


	4. Chapter 4

**Conversations**

 **. . .**

 _Jude raised an eyebrow and turned away from his daughter. "Then I'll instruct the staff that you are not to leave your rooms. Don't forget that you live under my roof, no matter your age." Jude walked into his office, closing the door and leaving Lucy still standing there._

 **. . .**

Gajeel opened the door for Jose, closing it a little too hard behind him. He was on edge, that much was clear. He didn't like the attention that Jose was paying to Lucy and he had a pit in his stomach concerning what Jose had spoken with Jude about.

The iron slayer climbed into the driver seat. Reaching over to buckle his belt with unintended force he ended up snapping the fabric clear through.

"What's the matter, my boy?" Jose asked with a raised eyebrow. He had never seen his normally levelheaded dragon slayer act like this before.

"Nothing," Gajeel grumbled, as he threw the broken buckle into the backseat and started the engine.

"Doesn't seem like nothing," Jose quipped, ever one to egg someone on.

Gajeel grit his teeth as he began the drive back to the Guild. "It is nothing," he managed to grind out. He tried to put the thoughts of the way Jose was interacting with Lucy out of his mind, but the man continued to press on his nerves.

"So, you spent some time along with the daughter. What can you tell me about her?" Jose asked with what Gajeel perceived to be too much interest.

The slayer took a deep breath and tried to calm the rage that was broiling in the pit of his stomach. He'd never felt this way before when it came to any girl he had interacted with. Between last week not sleeping, not being able to keep his hands off her when they were meeting and now his some enraged state, he had a pretty good idea of what was going on. So Jose's interest really fucking pissed him off.

"Nothing really. She's pretty dull," he responded, trying his best to disinterest the Guild Master.

Jose narrowed his eyes. "That doesn't seem right. From what I saw, she's quite the spitfire."

Gajeel shrugged. "I didn't see it."

"Right," Jose said with some skepticism. "And her magic? I'm sure you felt the energy signatures. What can you tell me about her magic?"

Gajeel shrugged again. "Dunno. She's totally clueless about it."

"That doesn't seem right either, Gajeel," Jose said with a bit more of an edge. "Are you sure you're feeling quite alright? You're normally my go-to when it comes to reconnaissance. This was a rather simplistic task. Not losing your edge, are you?" he said with a bit of a smirk. The man knew exactly how to push Gajeel over the edge, having essentially raised the man and molded him to his own needs.

"Fuck that," Gajeel cursed, squeezing the car's steering wheel so hard he knew he left indents where his fingers were.

"Just an observation, that's all," Jose remarked as he stared out the window at the forested land they were driving through. The two stayed silent for the remainder of the ride back, both seemingly lost in thought. When they finally pulled up to the Guild headquarters, Jose turned to address Gajeel. "We'll be returning tomorrow."

Gajeel furrowed his brow. "Why so soon?"

Jose looked annoyed. "Come again?"

"Nevermind," Gajeel grumbled, closing the car door.

. . .

"Fuck that guy!" Gajeel cursed aloud as he entered his house. He slammed his door behind him, his anger getting the best of him.

He wasn't an idiot; he knew what Jose's intentions were towards the girl. Whether it be marriage or something a little less formal, there was going to be an exchange of money for her in the very near future. And that was something he just couldn't let happen.

Jose was putting him into a difficult situation. He owed the man a great deal—he had taken him in when he was an orphan and taught him everything he knew. But if this girl turned out to be a potential mate—he wasn't sure he could just let that go.

Metallicana had taught him a great deal before he'd been abandoned. Gajeel at least owed the fucker that much. When a dragon or slayer found someone with compatible magic, he understood that they would be drawn to each other. This pull would drive them to initiate the mating, essentially showing the pair that they had compatible magic. One a mating was initiated, the pair had the ability to seal the mating if they chose. If they did not, the mating would fade as they spent time away from one another.

Gajeel had never felt the pull before so he wasn't exactly sure what it would feel like. But what he did understand was that he so easily lost control around this girl and that was not something normal. From their first meeting, he allowed her to get close enough to him to plant a kiss on his cheek. To the second meeting where he couldn't seem to keep his hands off of her—these were situations he had never experienced before.

So Jose's interest in the girl was troublesome, to say the least. And he didn't know how he was supposed to handle this. So he was angry. He walked out onto his back porch and tried to get his breathing under control. Looking out over the forested land, he sat down and closed his eyes. Cupping his hands inside one another, he took focused breaths and tried to tune into his dragon senses.

It was a method Metallicana had forced him to learn since he was a child. Too often dragons and slayers allowed their rage to get the better of them, only leading to terrible consequences. Instead, Gajeel was trained to meditate whenever he felt out of control, and it usually did help him solve whatever problem he was having.

As practiced as Gajeel was, within minutes, he was connecting with his inner dragon. He held the image of Lucy in his mind and pushed a question to his dragon senses: _"Potential mate?"_

What he got back was not a clear yes but it was also not a clear no. If asked to translate it, it might read something like, _"Maybe. Do not understand her magic."_

Gajeel took a deep breath. That made sense. He did not quite know what type of magic this girl practiced. It was clear she was a mage from her energy but without experiencing her magic first hand, there was no way to confirm what this pull was. But one thing was for sure, he had not felt it before, so there was likely more to this than he cared to admit.

He bowed to his senses, thanking them for their guidance and wisdom before laying out on the porch. Looking up at the quickly darkening sky, he knew what he needed to do the next day and was thankful that he was only going to miss one additional day of sleep before he had his answer.

. . .

Lucy did not retire to her rooms immediately. Instead, she walked herself to the galley where she grabbed pieces of this and that for dinner. She was agitated and while she knew she had reason to be, she still couldn't shake the odd feelings she was experiencing.

Her lips burned where Gajeel had pressed his to hers and her body ached for his to be close to hers again.

"What's got your cheeks so red, huh?"

Lucy turned in surprise, nearly dropping her entire plate of food at the woman's voice. "Oh my goodness, Spetto!" Lucy exclaimed. "You scared me half to death!"

"Only because you're lost in something that's raising your temperature," the older woman said with a knowing smile. "With my old bones, I haven't been quiet for the last two decades. So," the woman said, sitting at the counter and motioning for Lucy to do the same, "What's on your mind? It's not that hulk of a fellow I saw you in the gardens with, is it?"

Lucy's eyes widened in surprise and a bit of panic. "What did you see? Please don't tell father!" the blonde responded immediately.

"Stop that," Spetto said with a wave of her hand. "I've never been loyal to your father. Only ever your mother and now you. I should think you would know that."

Lucy breathed a sigh of relief. "I know. I'm sorry I didn't mean to doubt you."

"So go on," the woman said, encouraging Lucy to talk. "I know I'm not much to look at now, but in my old days I did quite well. I'm sure I can help you through whatever man troubles you're experiencing."

Lucy blushed at the woman insinuation. "Well. I don't know exactly what you saw us doing in the gardens," she began but the woman interrupted her.

"Enough to know he's on your mind."

Lucy pulled her lips in slightly, unsure of how she had managed to miss someone having seen the two; that was unlike her. "Well, he's unlike any other man I've been with before," Lucy admitted. "I know you understand that I'm not the woman my father necessarily thinks I am, considering you've always been the one to help cover for me from time to time." The woman nodded her head with a bit of a smile.

"And I'll always be glad to. Keeping you cooped up in this big house like you're some sort of doll isn't good for a girl of your age. You need to see the world, have friends, experience boys. I make no apologies."

Lucy nodded her head in gratitude to the woman. "Right, but—being around Gajeel. I can't seem to get my mind off of him."

Spetto barked out a laugh. "Honey, a man like that? If I were your age, I wouldn't be able to get _myself_ off of him, let alone my mind."

"Spetto!" Lucy said with a laugh and a blush.

"Don't act like you're some prude virgin," the woman responded. "You're thinking the same thing I am, admit it."

"Okay fine," Lucy said with a laugh. "But before today, I've never lost control like that around someone. I didn't mean for what happened to happen. It was risky with father around—too risky."

Spetto nodded her head in agreement. "I don't disagree with you there. But sooner or later you're going to have to make a decision regarding your father. Either you live your life or the life he wants you to live. I can't make that decision for you; no one can."

Lucy sighed. "Yeah," she said a bit deflated. She knew that fact too; she'd been feeling it for a while. But it was only until recently that she became of age and could actually make that a reality. "If I left, he'd completely disinherit me."

Spetto nodded. "Maybe. But you're a smart girl. I know you'd figure out how to put your talents to use." Lucy knew that Spetto was referring to her abilities as a mage. It had been the older maid that had hidden her mother's keys from her father, handing them off to Lucy when she was a bit older along with a book she had found on celestial magic. It wasn't much, but it at least had given Lucy the ability to develop her power.

Lucy sighed. "It's all a little overwhelming. This house is the only home I've ever known. And while I've managed to sneak away for an evening out here or there, I've never been away for any significant period of time."

Spetto reached out to pat the girl's hand. "Don't worry about that just yet. The right path will reveal itself; it always does. And in the meantime, don't be too hard on yourself about this new hunk. He's gorgeous. I'd be worried if you weren't caught up in him."

Lucy blushed a bit and smiled. Standing up, she walked around the counter to give the older woman a hug. "Thank you, Spetto. You always know just the right thing to say."

"That just comes from years of saying the wrong thing, my dear." The two women laughed.

END CHAPTER 4


	5. Chapter 5

**Confirmation**

. . .

 _Lucy blushed a bit and smiled. Standing up, she walked around the counter to give the older woman a hug. "Thank you, Spetto. You always know just the right thing to say."_

 _"That just comes from years of saying the wrong thing, my dear." The two women laughed._

. . .

Gajeel kept quiet as the pair made their way back to the Heartfilia Estate the next day. Jose's interest in the girl was unsettling to him, but today he decided he would get the answers he needed. If it turned out she was a potential Mate, then things might get difficult given his current position in the Guild.

Jose knew the young dragon slayer far too well and understood that his outburst yesterday coupled with his silence today meant something was seriously on his mind. The Guild Master had had a firm hold on Gajeel since he'd picked up the boy off the streets when he was just an orphan. He also knew that the only thing that was different in the man's life was their trips to the Heartfilia Estate.

"What's on your mind, son?" Jose asked.

Gajeel tried to keep his cool, responding with a simple, "Nothing."

Jose chuckled. "We both know that isn't true. And I think I have a right to know what the mage tasked with my protection is thinking."

Gajeel internally grumbled, knowing he wasn't going to get out of this conversation without saying something. "Just a little unclear about all this business at the Heartfilia Estate, that's all," he gruffed.

Jose shrugged his shoulders. "You've never wanted to know the status of my business affairs before. So, why now?"

Gajeel stayed quiet for a moment, weighing his response. "In the past I've always had a general understanding of any discussions. I'm totally in the dark here."

Jose nodded his head, but internally he wasn't convinced the man was telling him the entire truth. "Well, then I'll tell you. Jude Heartfilia runs a few—shall we call them, side businesses—that are in need of escorts from time to time. We've been in discussions about that."

Gajeel nodded his head before Jose added, "as well as his daughter." Jose watched for the iron slayer's response, but Gajeel, knowing he was under scrutiny kept a level head.

"His daughter like marriage?" he said, seemingly without interest.

Jose shrugged. "That depends on options and prices."

Gajeel tried his best not to growl at the thought of the Guild Master laying a hand on Lucy. He simply nodded, not trusting himself to answer at that moment.

"Does that sate your curiosity?"

Gajeel shrugged. "Yeah."

"Good," Jose responded before the two spent the remainder of the car ride in silence.

When the pair arrived at the house, they were led, not to the library as they had been before, but instead to a dining room set for two people. Gajeel looked at the extravagant area. An ornate oak table centered the room, draped in a silk cloth and topped with polished silverware. The walls were decorated with rich tapestries and the chandelier looked to be made of thousands of tiny crystals.

"Master Jose," Jude's voice boomed as he entered the area from the opposite door.

"Jude Heartfilia!" Jose responded in an equally boisterous voice. The two men shook hands, each giving the other a fake smile. "To what do I owe such extravagance?" Jose asked, gesturing to the settings.

"I thought we could discuss business over lunch," Jude responded, gesturing for Jose to take a seat.

"I'd be honored," Jose responded, sitting where indicated.

"Splendid! Spetto," Jude called for the elderly servant.

"Yessir," she responded, scurrying out from one of the side doors. She pushed Jude's chair in as he took a seat.

"Spetto, please go ahead and see to our meal," Jude instructed her.

The woman nodded, eyeing Gajeel, who remained standing, from the corner of her eye. "Shall I set an extra place, Sir?"

"No, that's not necessary," Jose chimed in before Jude could answer. "He's quite comfortable standing over there in the corner," the man said in an almost laugh. Gajeel grit his teeth.

Spetto nodded. "At least let me whisk him to the kitchen to serve him a bite to eat, then," she responded.

"I'm not so sure—" Jose was about to say but Jude interrupted him.

"That's a splendid idea, Spetto. Besides," Jude said, leaning in towards Jose, "Some discussions are better kept private." Jose nodded his understanding. "Fabulous!" Jude said. "Spetto, please arrange for our additional guest to eat in the kitchen."

"Right this way," Spetto said to Gajeel, indicating that he follow her to the galley. Gajeel nodded and fell into line behind the little old woman.

Within seconds of the door closing, the woman turned around and fixed him with an inquisitive stare, as if sizing him up. When she finally spoke, it was not at all what he had expected. "Two rights then down the hallway. Her room is the last door on the left." She said it with a raised eyebrow, as if she knew something she wasn't supposed to.

"What do you-?" he began to respond but the woman shushed him.

"You'll only have roughly an hour, so get going," she said with a smack to his rear followed by far too large of a grin.

"Yes ma'am," he responded, a little perplexed.

If he were a betting man, he's bet that she had given him directions to Lucy's room. That was just as well, because this gave him the opportunity to see her rather than hope she appear and try and separate them somehow. He arrived at the door in question and knocked.

"Coming," Lucy's voice responded from the other side and he instantly felt his heartbeat increasing.

When she opened the door, she gasped, not expecting to see the iron dragonslayer on the other side. "Gajeel?" she asked, stepping a bit past him to look in the hallway to see if anyone had followed him before ushering him inside. "What are you doing here?"

"Some old woman directed me here," he responded honestly, taking in his surroundings. He hoped the girl hadn't been allowed to decorate the room herself, because the entire place was covered with pink ruffled in various shapes and patterns.

Lucy noticed his somewhat perturbed expression. "Not my doing. But I do like pink," she added. Gajeel chuckled and nodded. Lucy gestured to the small table in the corner of the room and Gajeel took a seat.

"So, you must have figured she was leading you to my room," Lucy said a bit hesitantly, taking a seat herself. "And you actually came." It was more of a question than a statement.

Gajeel reached his hand across the table to touch hers. He couldn't help himself; he wanted the physical contact with the woman. "Look, Lucy," he started, trying to find the right words. "I've been with a lot of women."

Lucy laughed. "Is that what you came here to tell me?"

"Shit, no," Gajeel tried to correct himself but Lucy waved it off.

"I'm just teasing. Sorry, continue."

"While I've been with a lot of women, you're—different. I just—" he sighed, not knowing how much to tell the girl about Mating. "I feel like there might be something more here. A connection." He paused, trying to find the right words. "Can you do me a favor?"

"Uh—" Lucy hesitated, not sure how to respond.

"I know this sounds weird, but, do you think you can tell me about your magic? Maybe show it to me?"

Lucy brightened at his request. "Yes! No one's ever really been interested in my magic before."

"Most people are dumbasses," Gajeel instantly responded and Lucy giggled.

"I'm a celestial summoner," Lucy explained. "My mother was too. I can summon celestial spirits by using keys."

"That's really rare," Gajeel responded and Lucy nodded.

"That's why it's so important to me. I really want to honor her memory and be able to take good care of her spirits."

Gajeel nodded. "I get that. I learned magic from my dad too." Lucy smiled. "Mind showing me a bit of your magic?"

Lucy twisted her lips. "It would involve summoning a spirit. Let me see," she said. She stood up and began lifting her many layers of skirts.

Gajeel put his hands up. "Whoa, what's going on?"

Lucy blushed. "Sorry, it's just where I hide my keys." She giggled at Gajeel's face before she finally reached the last layer tulle. Her keys were tucked in a garter held close against her leg. Reaching over all of the material, she pulled the key ring into her hands and looked through the few bits of metal before dropping her skirts and holding one high above her head.

Gajeel watched in awe as the girl said a few words and a portal opened above her head before a woman with a harp appeared before them. "Hello Princess," the new arrival said in a sweet voice. "Can I play something for you and your Prince?"

Lucy looked immediately flustered. She shook her hands in front of her, her face turning a brilliant shade of red. "Prince? What? No. I mean, yes, if you could play something quickly, please."

"As you wish," the spirit responded before beginning to play a soft melody on her instrument.

But Gajeel wasn't focused on the music around him. He was focused on Lucy. He distinctly felt the pull towards her that indicated she was a potential match—a Mate. Someone who, if the two of them chose, could enhance not only his own magic, but her own as well; someone whom his dragon instincts would accept and not rebel against.

The little spirit finished her music and Lucy clapped and thanked her before saying that was all. When the spirit disappeared, Lucy looked at Gajeel. "Is something wrong?"

"Lucy," he said with a hushed voice. He wanted her. He wanted hold her against his body. He wanted to look into her eyes as he felt her come undone beneath him. He wanted to hear her scream his name and he wanted to scream hers in return. But he sucked with words. Actions were his language of choice.

So he stood, crossed the threshold to where she was leaning against her bedpost and invaded her space. She let him and he took advantage of it. His face moved in close, his breath feathering against her skin and she shivered. "Gajeel, what are you-?"

But his lips pressing against hers cut her off. He didn't know how to tell her what he was feeling, so he would try and express it through his body. His hands lifted to wrap around her waist, pulling her lithe body tight against his hard edges. Her breasts, already spilling over the top of her corset pushed tighter against him and he couldn't help but make his way down to them, first to her neck, then to run his tongue against the exposed area.

She gasped. Every touch of his burned against her skin in a way she had never felt before. She wanted him in a way that she had never wanted a man before. All thoughts of their situation went out the window and she was able to focus only on the man in front of her and what he was doing to her.

"How do I get this off you?" he asked in a heated whisper, referring to her corset.

Lucy shook her head. "The laces in the back."

Gajeel reached behind her, feeling a knot at the bottom of the stiff fabric. He pulled the strings and the fabric loosened enough so that he could shift the offending garment down to expose her breasts. His manhood raged as he took in the sight of the girl, flushed, exposed and more beautiful than ever against the bed post.

He encouraged her to move to the bed and she followed his lead, letting him climb over her. His hand moved up her body, trailing first up the expanse of her leg, lifting her skirts as it traveled before he finally passed overtop her corset to her breasts spilling over top.

She shivered as his hand passed her skin, her rosy peaks stiff from his attentions. Gajeel laid down beside her, her large hands palming her bosom, her moans of pleasure his reward. He kissed her neck, breathing in her scent as he laid next to her, the heat of her body doing more to drive him towards what he really wanted.

He reached down, cupping her womanhood and using his position to push his manhood against her. "I want you," he whispered against her ear to her quick gasp of breath. He couldn't stop his hands from roaming her body, passing over her freed breasts to her exposed neck before traveling back down again to rub against her clit.

"God yes," was all she could respond and Gajeel internally rejoiced in a way he had never done before with a woman.

"Our magics," he said, as he began to push his khakis off his body. "I want to Mate you," he said, letting his boxers follow, his manhood springing free.

Lucy had read enough gossip columns on mages to know a little about the concept. It had shown up in a magazine article about the Salamander of Fairy Tail—dragon slayers didn't just have girlfriends. Rumors were abuzz with what Mating would be like, how it would feel, if it were permanent.

So his words surprised her that she could be someone like that to him, but knowing he was a dragon slayer, she knew of the concept, just not anything substantive about it. But being locked away in a cage for so long, not being able to make your own choices about who you could love, see, fuck, marry changed a person. And when someone like Gajeel Redfox gave you the free will to decide, it more than turned her on—it gave her her answer.

"Then do it," she responded, wishing she could be free of the large dress she was wearing. But Gajeel didn't seem to care. The moment the words left her mouth he reached down, pulled the skirts up and her panties aside and was joined with her in seconds. She could tell he was large but she was so wet from his attentions that his manhood slid into her easily.

"Fuck," he cursed as he hands came up to fondle her breasts.

"Oh god," she exhaled as he started to move, in and out at a delicious pace that had her feeling like she was climbing to some sort of new found high. His hand moved north, tightening slightly against her neck as he used his grip for leverage, pushing his body into hers over and over again. She couldn't move. All she could do was lay there and try and take everything he was giving to her.

His lips were on her earlobe, sucking it and making her gasp before his teeth started to nip at her neck. He sucked a portion of the skin into his mouth and she gasped as he left hickeys but she didn't care. His pace increased and he groaned at the feeling of her ass meeting his hips with each thrust of his cock into her channel.

"Lucy," he managed to say. "I need you to come."

She couldn't speak. She felt like she was floating high, a coil in her stomach wound tight as he pistoned into her at a punishing pace. Finally, what she knew would happen but didn't know when, warmth flooded her body, starting in the center before spreading out in pleasurable tendrils to all parts of her.

Her channel tightened against him and he couldn't hold on any longer at the feeling of her squeezing his cock. His hands gripped her neck as his teeth latched on and with a moan of his name, he sank his fangs into her as he came, a bit of his magic exchanging with hers to begin the Mating bond.

END CHAPTER 5

 **Smut on a Thursday evening. You're welcome ;)**


	6. Chapter 6

**Deals**

. . .

 _Her channel tightened against him and he couldn't hold on any longer at the feeling of her squeezing his cock. His hands gripped her neck as his teeth latched on and with a moan of his name, he sank his fangs into her as he came, a bit of his magic exchanging with hers to begin the Mating bond._

. . .

"I must compliment you on the meal, Jude," Jose said, scraping the last bit of lunch off his plate. "Exceptional. But I'd expect nothing less from a man such as yourself."

Jude eyed the man carefully, sizing him up. If he played his cards right, he hoped that by the end of their meeting he would have managed to solve two problems. "I can't help but notice the interest you've taken in my Lucy," Jude said.

Jose smiled, pushing his chair back from the table to cross his legs. He threw his napkin up on the plate. "I hope you don't take any offense to it." It was a question as much as it was a statement.

Jude shook his head. "Not necessarily. I suppose it depends on what your intensions are towards her."

Jose considered the man in front of him. "I'd say that rather depends on how you see her future."

Jude lifted a corner of his lip. "Well, she is my only child, after all," he said. "What father wouldn't want to see his daughter happily married."

"Indeed," the mage responded, noticing Jude's attempt to posture.

A pregnant pause filled the air before Jude cleared his throat. "Is that something in which you're interested?"

"I find my interests wane and wax depending on the situation. So what's her situation?"

Jose was fishing and Jude knew it. "Situation?"

"She's obviously a headstrong girl. Would she even entertain something like this?"

"She'll do as she's told, if that's what you're getting at," Jude responded a bit curtly.

"Fair enough," Jose replied. "So, hypothetically, if she were something that peaked my interest, what would the price be?"

"Well," Jude responded, puffing his chest up a bit. "Like I said, she's my only child and only daughter. I love her dearly. Her happiness is worth a great deal, as is her hand in marriage. I cannot begin to even tell you how many marriage proposals I've gotten for her!"

"And each of them rejected? Or rescinded?"

Jude turned a bit red, having been caught in his white lie. "Negotiations are a delicate thing. Sometimes parties just can't come to agreements."

Jose nodded his head slowly. "I doubt you and I would have such a problem. But if you're serious about this, I think you should make an offer."

"Her hand in exchange for mercenary support for my shipments," Jude said flatly.

Jose scoffed. "That hardly seems fair. How are those men supposed to be paid for their work? I never took you to be an unreasonable man!"

"Fair enough," Jude responded, knowing Jose wouldn't take the first bait. "But I don't think it's an unreasonable offer. You get my Lucy for ever after. To do with and enjoy as you see fit. Only seems fair that I get something in exchange for that." Jose stayed silent, wanting Jude to make the counter. The man finally spoke again. "But I understand your position. Reduced rates, then. I'll pay your men 25% of their normal fee."

"Good luck getting them to agree to that," Jose retorted. "They're not the ones that are going to get to experience your daughter. At least that's how they'll see it."

Jude bristled slightly. "Fine. How about we agree to no upcharge. Your men get work and instead of a kickback on your end, you get Lucy."

Jose considered the offer. "My men work at 500 jewel per hour. I'll keep you at that rate."

Jude smiled. "Done!"

Jose internally snickered as the two men stood to shake hands. What Jude didn't know was that his men would agree to 400 jewel per hour and that's what they were going to get. Not only did he secure his use of the daughter, but he still came out ahead on their deal.

Spetto watched from the crack in the kitchen door, overhearing everything. She looked down at her watch in worry. If the big hunk didn't make it back soon, there would be some serious trouble at the Estate.

"Hey Grandma," a gravely voice said from the other side of the kitchen. The old maid turned around and breathed a sigh of relief to see the body guard standing there.

"You're very lucky, young man," she chided. "Another minute and you'd be in serious trouble."

Gajeel rolled his eyes. "We had a lot to talk about."

"I bet," Spetto replied. She stood there silently, considering whether to tell the young man what had just transpired in the other room. But before she could make up her mind, there was yelling in the other room.

"Gajeel!" Jose's voice cut through to the kitchen.

The big mage huffed before crossing the kitchen, his boots thumping against the tile floor. He opened the heavy door to the dining area. "Yeah," he said with an annoyed voice.

"I believe Jude and I are done for the day."

Gajeel gave the two men a bored look. "Congrats?"

Jose chuckled. "His sense of humor is spot on." Jude let out an awkward laugh before the two men shook hands. Claude appeared on the other side of the room to escort the men out. "Looking forward to the paperwork," Jose said as he waved goodbye.

Jude stood in place, waving in response as he watched the two men exit his home. As soon as the door closed, he wiped the plastered smile off his face and turned on his heel towards his daughter's room.

. . .

The two men climbed into the car, the routine becoming somewhat of a nuisance for Gajeel by this point. As he pulled the car away from the Estate, he felt a yearning to return to the home and be with Lucy. It took all his will power to keep his foot on the gas and drive away from the woman he had just initiated the Mating with.

 _"I can't stay any longer," Gajeel said, brushing the girl's hair back from her face. She was panting heavily from their coupling, her skin flush from their activities._

 _"It's fine; I know. You should go. If father finds us in here, there will be problems," Lucy replied._

 _"Not worried 'bout your dad," Gajeel said flatly, not adding in that the real man he was worried about was his own Guild Master. Now that he had confirmed that she was his Mate, he'd have to figure out a way to have some discussion with the man. Perhaps he would turn his attentions elsewhere, once he knew the truth about their relationship._

 _"I'll figure out a way to come and see you soon," Gajeel said, kissing her lightly before pulling himself away to put on his clothing. She watched him from her spot on the bed, not bothering to cover her nakedness. He appreciated that._

 _She smiled and nodded her head. "I know."_

He watched his Guild Master out of the corner of his eye. The man seemed far too pleased with himself, and that was never a good thing. "What's got you so damn chipper?" Gajeel gruffed.

"Wouldn't you like to know," Jose said with a sly smile. Gajeel sat in silence, not giving the man the satisfaction of a response. "Fine, I'll tell you," Jose said, huffing a bit at his body guard not playing along. "I just got Jude Heartfilia to exchange his daughter's hand in marriage for a discount on mercenary services. Everyone says he's such a sophisticated businessman but I was able to swindle him rather easily."

Gajeel grit his teeth. Jose wanting to marry Lucy was bad. He'd known the man long enough to know how he operated with women. He'd been married before—no relationship ever made it past six months and none of them ended well. He'd heard rumors about the man and how he liked things but he never cared in the past. Now things were different.

"You really wanna get married again?" Gajeel asked. Perhaps he could dissuade him.

"I think its true love this time," Jose said in a mocking tone.

"I doubt that."

Jose shrugged his shoulders. "She'll be nice to use until I grow tired of her or she can't take my attentions any longer. Then perhaps the men will have some fun with her." Gajeel audibly growled at the man's words. Jose noticed and narrowed his eyes. His dragon slayer had shown a weakness towards this girl with increasing strength after each visit. "Was that supposed to be some sort of threat? Or perhaps you were expressing your approval of my plan?"

Gajeel knew he had to tread lightly. He didn't make good decisions when he was emotional—that much he knew. And right now, a deep part of him was telling him to rip the head off of the man he'd considered a father since he was young. He needed to cool off. If he could just survive this car ride, he could formulate a plan that didn't involve fighting a wizard saint.

"Yeah, that's it," Gajeel finally grunted before keeping quiet for the rest of the drive. Jose tried to pull him into further conversation but he kept his eyes on the road, grunting responses only when absolutely required. Finally, the two pulled up to the Guild and Jose stepped out of the car. Gajeel took a moment to collect himself before opening the door himself. Instead of turning to head into the Guild, he began to head towards home.

"Oh, Gajeel," Jose said. Gajeel turned around and raised an eyebrow at the Guild Master. The older man considered his young apprentice briefly before waving his hand. "Nevermind." It was all Gajeel could do to nod his head slightly before continuing on his way home.

The walk helped to clear his mind, or rather, it helped to clear his anger enough so that he could think straight. His instincts were on overdrive, having been away from the women for so long after initiating the Mating bond. He paced his living room, trying to put those feelings aside and not let them affect how he handled this situation.

He'd wanted to believe he could discourage Jose from moving forward with his own plan, but he knew that was folly now. He heard the way the man spoke about the girl. He'd been around his guild master long enough to know that he had his mind set when it came to Lucy Heartfilia. He wanted her and he rarely didn't get what he wanted.

Gajeel knew it was going to be up to Lucy to refuse his advances on the other end. But even then he wondered if that would be enough. Jose had had plenty of women turn him down in the past. He'd send one of his guys out to find her, sometimes it had been Gajeel himself. And when they did bring her back, Jose was never gentle. And unfortunately, the Guild Master had enough friends in the police department that he always got away with it.

No—even if Lucy tried to refuse his proposal, Gajeel knew Jose would still find a way to have her. He pounded his fist into his hand, realizing there was only one solution to this entire mess. The girl needed to disappear but she also needed protection. If she just ran away, she would certainly be found and dragged back. But if she had someone or a group of people that would come to her aid, then Jose might not waste the effort.

Walking into the kitchen, he decided to grab himself a beer. Perhaps the liquid would help him relax as he solved this last dilemma. A bit of mail was left on the counter and he rolled his eyes at the Sorcerer's Weekly magazine plastered with pictures of Fairy Tail members. "Those fucking fairies, always going on about family and shit like that."

Gajeel tore the cap off the beer bottle with his teeth, crunching on it idly. "Holy shit," he said aloud, before grimacing. He knew he likely found the only solution to his problem, but that didn't mean he had to like it.

. . .

"Lucy!" Spetto said with urgency, slipping into the girl's room. "Your father is coming!" Her voice was frantic as she raced around the room collecting bits of clothing strewn about.

"What? Why?" Lucy exclaimed, leaping out of bed to try and right herself.

"No time for that," Spetto said, pushing the girl back into bed. "Say you're sick."

Lucy climbed back under the covers, nodding her head. "What does he want?"

Spetto paused briefly. "Keep calm. He's going to bring you a marriage proposal."

"Is that all?" Lucy said nonchalantly. "I've turned down a bunch of those before. He can't _force_ me to marry someone. He knows that."

Spetto gave the girl a sad look. "This situation is a little different, my dear. The buyer isn't just some noble. He's that Guild leader, the wizard saint."

Lucy's face paled. "Master Jose? Gajeel's Guild Master?" Spetto nodded her head. Waves of panic washed through Lucy as she began to question Gajeel's true intentions towards her. _"The Mating? Was it real? Was anything he said real? Or was he doing some twisted deed for his Guild Master?"_

Spetto could see the worry seep across Lucy's face. "Hold it together, Lucy. I hear your father coming now."

Within seconds, the door opened and in walked Jude Heartfilia. "Why are you in bed?" he asked in a booming voice.

Lucy was still in a state of shock and Spetto seized on the moment to answer for the girl. "She's taken quite ill, Sir."

"Oh?" Jude said with narrowed eyes, looking at his daughter.

"Yessir. We should absolutely let her rest."

Jude frowned. "You'll be marrying Jose Porla. I don't care if you disagree. The paperwork is already being drawn up." Without any further words, the man turned on his heel and exited the room, the door slamming behind him.

Spetto turned to look at Lucy, her big brown eyes wide. "Spetto. I have to get out of here."

END CHAPTER 6


	7. Chapter 7

**Missing**

. . .

 _Jude frowned. "You'll be marrying Jose Porla. I don't care if you disagree. The paperwork is already being drawn up." Without any further words, the man turned on his heel and exited the room, the door slamming behind him._

 _Spetto turned to look at Lucy, her big brown eyes wide. "Spetto. I have to get out of here."_

. . .

"I need to get somewhere he won't be able to find me," Lucy said as she threw the covers off of her and started to gather some belongings. "Better yet," she said as she grabbed a bag and laid it on the bed, "I need to go somewhere where people might be willing to help protect me."

The older woman watched as Lucy moved between the main room and her closet, putting necessities, many of which the woman didn't even know the girl had, into the bag.

"I'm not sure a place like that exists," the older woman said, her spirits a bit broken by the entire situation.

"Maybe not," Lucy said as she zipped up the bag, "but I think I know of somewhere that might come close."

Spetto furrowed her brow. "And where might that be?"

Lucy turned towards her friend. "I wish I could tell you, but I'm afraid it might risk your safety and mine if father found out," Lucy said. The woman's eyes looked sad but she nodded in understanding. "I'll write to you once I get settled there safely."

"I suppose that will have to do," the woman responded, pulling Lucy in for a hug. "You've been like a daughter to me. Please be safe and take care of yourself."

Lucy embraced the woman who had taken the place of both her mother and father figure growing up. "Don't worry," she said into her shoulder. "We'll see each other again. I promise."

The two pulled apart and Spetto wiped a tear off her cheek. "I'm going to hold you to that," she said, trying to smile. Shaking the emotions off of her she continued. "Right, your father has taken to wanting his nightcap just before ten. That should get you past Claude unnoticed but you'll still have to deal with the rover."

Ever the one to be paranoid, and likely because of his shady business relationships, Jude had seen to having a low level mage roam the property as protection. "Not to worry," Lucy said, heading over to her nearby desk and opening the drawer. The maid watched as the girl pulled open a false bottom and grabbed a sheet of paper from underneath. She waived it and said, "I've already got their rotation schedule all figured out."

Spetto smiled. "You've been planning this, haven't you?"

Lucy sighed. "More like, I was facing reality and knew this day would eventually come."

"Smart girl."

"By the fourth failed marriage proposal I didn't need to be smart to figure out things were going to come to a head at some point."

"Give yourself some credit," the old woman said, pulling Lucy in for one last hug. "I'll see you soon," she said before slipping out of the room quietly.

By quarter of ten, Lucy had everything packed that she needed in a suitcase small enough that she could strap it to her back. She'd grabbed a good deal of jewel that she had been saving up over the years whenever she could. Despite her family being extremely wealthy, that didn't mean that there was petty cash lying around. Actually quite the opposite; more normal people would have been surprised how much debt the wealthy actually took on. Very few things were outright paid for.

She hid at the threshold to one of the servant entrances to the kitchen, knowing Claude would use the main entrance to deliver her father's drink up to his bedroom before retiring for the evening himself. She watched him prepare the tray before finally leaving for his destination.

Lucy used the opportunity to slip through the kitchen and use the side door that led to the outdoor trash. Opening and closing the door as carefully as she could, she managed to make it out of the house without being noticed. Outside it was already dark and she looked at her wristwatch for the time. She waited patiently, hidden behind the trashcans for the nighttime rover to do his walk by. Within five minutes she was able to climb over the wooden fencing without drawing attention; she didn't want to risk opening the gate because it always squeaked.

Fifteen minutes of brisk walking brought her to the edge of the Estate. She turned to give it one last look. While her relationship with her father had grown more troubled since her mother's passing, it had still been her home and she would cherish some of the memories she had of it. Turning back around, she looked at the dense forest that stretched out in front of her and smiled. For the first time in her entire life, she was about to be completely free to make her own choices, so long as she could keep away from her father's grasp.

Lucy had made the decision that she would travel through the evening and rest when she reached the nearest town. It would take several hours of walking and she'd have to be careful to stay away from the road and under cover just incase she was discovered missing sooner than morning. But at the end of it, she'd be able to board the train in Hargeon and head towards Magnolia.

. . .

Gajeel looked down at the magazine and growled at the faces that smiled back at him. He was annoyed that he had found himself in the present situation. Of all the women with whom he was magically compatible, it had to be the one woman whom Jose decided he wanted to marry. Of course Jose changed wives every year or so, but still. The present circumstances were not ideal.

The iron slayer knew he couldn't risk not getting Lucy to safety as soon as possible. He had no idea how long marriage contract papers took to draft up but if Jose decided that they were going back for Lucy tomorrow, Gajeel needed to make sure that she wasn't there.

He looked at the clock over the stove and sighed. It was already nearing eight o'clock in the evening and the drive out to that stupid estate took over an hour. There was no way he was going to be able to travel on foot and make it back in time to be at the Guild the next day. He'd have to grab one of the cars unnoticed, which meant he'd need to wait until the middle of the night.

He let the hours pass, allowing himself to drift asleep for some time to restore his energy. By midnight, he had changed into black clothing and was grabbing the pair of keys off his kitchen counter that he'd failed to return when him and Jose had gotten back to the Guild a few hours earlier. It was a lucky thing that he'd been too upset to go into the hall. If he had, he likely would have left the keys where they belonged and then he'd have had an extra step to all this.

The streets were mostly deserted on his walk back to the Guild and for that he was thankful. By the time he'd reached where the car was parked, it was nearing one in the morning and even for Phantom Lord, the place was closed up. Being careful to ensure the lights stayed off when he started the car, he put it in gear before driving it away. Just incase he was being watched, he didn't immediately head towards the Estate, instead stopping at a convenience store before finally going in the right direction.

He kept the windows sealed tight on the ride there as a precaution against leaving any personal scent trails. Gajeel seriously doubted that anyone else had as discerning of a nose as his, but he was trying to minimize risk in an already precarious situation.

After what felt like an eternity of driving through the dark forest, he finally crested the hill to where he could see the estate below. He pulled the car over to the side of the road and parked it, obscured from normal view. Gajeel wasn't going to chance driving into the Estate. A man like Jude seemed paranoid at best; he was sure there was some form of security at least during the night.

The iron slayer slipped through the night, his quiet footsteps blending with the soundtrack of the forest behind him. As he moved closer to the estate, his nose picked up the scent of a mage and he knew it had to be the security guard. His keen senses allowed him to slip unnoticed and he chuckled to himself at how ineffective Jude's security was.

Gajeel wasn't heading directly for the main house. Instead, he followed the scent of the old woman; he felt confident she'd be able to help. Plus going into the house might prove too risky without first knowing whether Jude had any sort of active alarms or other security measures. Gajeel kept his nose trained on the scent of the old woman despite the overwhelming strong scent of Lucy surrounding him. He was surprised by how easily he was picking up Lucy's scent and how heavy it seemed to saturate the air around him, but he figured that it must have something to do with the Mating.

Finally, his nose brought him to a small house set back a distance from the main mansion. He went around back, knocking on the window. "Old woman," he said through the glass. It took a few attempts but finally he heard movement from inside before a small light was switched on. Gajeel allowed himself to be seen in the window and Spetto hurried over to him once she recognized who it was.

"Quick get in here," she said in a whisper as she opened the glass for him. Gajeel easily hopped inside before shutting the window quietly behind him. "What are you doing here?" the woman asked.

"I've come for Lucy," Gajeel said simply. "Jose is dangerous. I can't allow her to marry him."

The woman's lips curved into a small smile. "I see. Well, hate to break it to you but your damsel in distress already left several hours ago."

"What?" Gajeel said, trying his best to keep his voice down but unable to control his raging emotions.

"She thought the same thing and she ran away just this evening."

"You've got to be fucking kidding me," Gajeel said, bring his hand to his face. "Do you know where she went?"

The woman shook her head. "No. What's the big problem? She can handle herself. Trust me, I raised her."

The iron slayer growled in frustration. He knew it wasn't the woman's fault that she didn't understand the gravity of the situation but still, have some common sense. "This isn't a run away from home and I'm safe situation, lady," Gajeel said curtly. "Jose always gets what he wants. He'll have people sent out after her. Most likely I'll be one of them. She may be strong but she won't know how to hide her scent and how to stay unnoticed. She needed to disappear—not run away. I was her best chance of keeping her safe."

The woman stayed quiet, her mood sobering before she finally spoke. "I wish I could tell you where she went, but she wouldn't even tell me."

"How much did she bring with her? Her belongings?" Gajeel asked.

"Barely anything. Maybe a change of clothes and a bit of food. And obviously all of the jewel she had collected over the years," the woman replied. "Why?"

"Because it means she was planning to go somewhere she could get food and shelter then," Gajeel said, thinking about what villages surrounded the Estate. "Did she say anything else? Anything that might be a clue to where she was headed?"

"She said she was heading to some place where people might help protect her."

Gajeel's lips thinned. That could be a number of places. She might be heading for the police—which he hoped not because Jose had paid officers there. Perhaps she was clever enough to head for a Guild, but the question was which one.

"What time is it?" Gajeel asked.

Spetto turned to look at the clock in the kitchen and squinted. "Looks to be just about four."

"Fuck!" Gajeel cursed under his breath. He hadn't factored in needing to go and hunt down Lucy. He simply didn't have the time to go look for her if he wanted to get the vehicle back to the Guild unnoticed. He turned to the woman. "If she contacts you, give her this," Gajeel said, handing the woman a slip of paper with his number scribbled on it. "Do not share that with anyone. But tell her she needs to call me immediately."

"Okay," Spetto said, tucking the slip of paper in the pocket of her nightgown. "I will."

Gajeel headed towards the window and turned around before opening. "And thanks."

"For what?" Spetto asked.

"For giving her and I that time together." Before the old woman had the time to respond, Gajeel had lifted the glass and was heading back out into the dark. He growled lowly as he went, the scent of his Lucy clinging to the air, encouraging him to go and sniff her out. But logic reminded him that if Jose had discovered that he'd taken the car, there would be serious questions, and that could prove even more dangerous for both of them. He'd have to find Lucy later. For right now, he'd done all he could for the evening.

END CHAPTER 7


	8. Chapter 8

**Plans**

. . .

 _He growled lowly as he went, the scent of his Lucy clinging to the air, encouraging him to go and sniff her out. But logic reminded him that if Jose had discovered that he'd taken the car, there would be serious questions, and that could prove even more dangerous for both of them. He'd have to find Lucy later. For right now, he'd done all he could for the evening._

. . .

"A runaway, huh?" the little old man said to her with a quizzical look from his seat on the desktop.

"I guess you could call me that," Lucy admitted as she tried to make sense of the character before her. It was clear from his orange suit that while he might be small in stature, his personality was larger than life. "I suppose I should add that my father is a very powerful man and I'd expect him to hire someone to come after me, if not multiple people."

The little man twirled his bushy white mustache between his fingers. "Meh, we've dealt with worse."

Lucy grimaced. She wasn't sure this man was taking the situation seriously enough. "I just wanted to be entirely honest with you. If you'd like to rescind your offer to join the Guild, I'd understand," Lucy said, wincing slightly as she awaited his answer.

"Nonsense!" the man blurted out, slamming the tankard of ale he'd been holding down onto the desk. "If Fairy Tail turned away every run away, well, there'd damn well be no Fairy Tail!" he responded, swelling with pride. "And we all look out for one another, no matter what."

"Oh," Lucy said, a little taken aback. Of course she had heard about the incredible bond most guild wizards shared with one another, but it was another thing entirely to be included. She'd never truly felt like she'd belonged anywhere. It almost felt odd.

"Now, where do you want your guild mark?" the guild master, Makarov, asked, holding up a big rubber stamp that had a faint glow to it.

Lucy held out her hand. "Here," she said but just before the man could place the stamp, she withdrew quickly. "I have one more thing to add." Makarov fixed her with a curious smile but didn't say anything. "I ran away because my father wanted me to marry a very powerful wizard."

"Can you say who?" the man asked, bringing his tankard back up to his lips to take a sip.

Lucy sucked in a breath. "Jose Porla."

The blonde moved aside just in time to avoid the spray of liquid that left the guild master's mouth. "As in the Wizard Saint, Jose Porla?"

Lucy cringed. "I guess I didn't realize he was a Wizard Saint."

"I guess that means you didn't realize I was one either?" Makarov muttered and Lucy wasn't sure if he was joking or not. His eyebrows furrowed and he looked up at her. "Does this mean you're into older men?"

"Um," Lucy stuttered. "I ran away because of it."

"Right, right," Makarov said with a waive of his hand. "Well, no matter. If my fellow colleague is truly serious about forcing someone's hand unwillingly, I'm sure the Magic Council will have something to say about it. Now, you said your hand right?"

Lucy couldn't help but smile as she nodded and outstretched her arm. The entire train ride to Magnolia her stomach had been in knots about how to broach this subject or whether to bring it up at all. But she'd ultimately decided that she'd rather not keep secrets that were bound to cause problems later on.

She left the upstairs office holding her hand in front of her face, admiring the pink stamp that still had a slight glow to it.

"Watch where you're going," a deep voice gruffed at her as she stumbled into something very solid and landed backwards on the floor.

Looking up from her spot below her eyes widened as they met a pair of stormy gray ones in return. Lucy recognized the man instantly. Laxus Dreyar was unmistakable in his cheetah print silk shirt and maroon trousers. The look was rather garish but Lucy figured when you were as gorgeous as he was, you could pull off just about anything.

But she didn't have the opportunity to organize her thoughts towards the man because she found herself being picked up from her spot on the floor and pushed against the wall. "You smell amazing," he said in a near whisper, his nose brushing against her neck.

"Excuse me," Lucy said in a bit of a huff, trying to push the big man away from her; they'd just met after all. She tried to make eye contact with him but his eyes seemed almost glazed over and the longer he stayed there, the more she thought about Gajeel.

"Laxus," Makarov's voice rang through the hallway with a ferocity Lucy had not expected. "Perhaps our newest member could benefit from a traditional introduction. Not whatever this is."

The big man shook his head. Lucy watched as his eyes focused and then widened and he took an immediate step back. "Shit. Sorry, I don't know what came over me."

Lucy held out her hand in a gesture of good faith. "No worries. I'm Lucy Heartfilia. Nice to meet you."

"Laxus Dreyar," he gruffed, shaking her hand briefly before turning and continuing his trek down the hallway without saying a word to his grandfather.

"Sorry about that. It seems like my grandson has forgotten his manners," the old man huffed and Lucy let out a small laugh.

"It's alright. It's been a weird day. I'd be just as happy for it to be over."

"Well, head along downstairs. I'm sure Natsu will be wanting to introduce you to your new family."

Lucy beamed a smile at the old man upon hearing the word "family" before turning to run downstairs to show the pink haired boy her new stamp.

. . .

Laxus watched the blonde from his perch on the second floor. He didn't quite understand what had come over him when he'd bumped into her and it had him feeling a bit out of sorts. Laxus had his control issues, sure, but he generally was always in control of his faculties. This was the first time where he felt like he'd lost the ability to control the movement of his body. Almost as if something was driving him from the inside.

He groaned. He sort of had an idea about what exactly was driving him on the inside and he hated facing that idea. But if that stupid glass ball was going to start making him lose his cool around women, he needed to understand it a bit better. He definitely did not want to start causing _that_ kind of trouble around Magnolia.

"Freed," he said, turning to the man quietly reading a book in the corner.

"Yes, Laxus," the man said, carefully placing the book down onto his lap and closing it. He brushed a piece of his long green hair back away from his face as he made eye contact with his team leader.

"You've got my permission to follow up with that research you started way back."

"Are you referring to the drag—"

"Yes," Laxus said, quickly cutting him off. "Discreetly, please."

The lithe man stood and bowed. "Understood." And with that, he excused himself and headed towards the underutilized Guild library on the basement level.

Fits of laughter broke out from the first floor and Laxus turned to look back at idiot-Natsu. It was pretty clear the boy didn't have any romantic interest in the woman from the way he was behaving. Laxus sighed. Which likely meant the problem was with him and his fucked up insides and not because he was a dragon slayer.

The entire situation frustrated the man as did this new member. His life had been rather perfect lately, the ideal combination of booze, brawls and broads. And then she had to show up and throw a wrench in it.

Laxus pulled his headphones up over his ears and turned up his music. Maybe his music could drown out his rage.

. . .

Gajeel sat in the corner of the guildhall loudly crunching on medal. A not insignificant part of him was enraged at the fact that he was away from his would-be Mate at the moment. The iron slayer wanted nothing more than to get up, flip the table he was sitting at across the room and run to Lucy. It was as if something deep inside him was warning him that there could be dire consequences if he was not with her, protecting her.

But there was absolutely nothing he could do about that right now. Even if he had the ability to leave the Guild without invoking suspicion, he didn't have the first clue where the girl had gone.

He saw Kageyama talking to Jose out of the corner of his eye. Gajeel knew it had been a mistake to let the little shit head into Phantom once his wanna be dark Guild had disbanded. But Jose had a knack for picking up misfits, much like himself.

The younger man turned to look at Gajeel and the iron slayer let out a growl loud enough to silence the Guildhall. "What the fuck do you want?" Gajeel directed at Kageyama for good measure.

But Jose chimed in instead. "Oh, Gajeel, always the one for dramatics," the man said as flamboyantly as ever before approaching the slayer. The murmur of voices returned as the Master waved his hands at everybody to go about their business. Jose sat down across from Gajeel and the iron slayer pulled his pile of metal shards closer towards him.

"Don't worry. Neither of us want any of that," Jose said with a raised eyebrow.

Gajeel tried to take a deep breath. He knew he was acting a little more ornery than usual and he needed to cool it. "What do you two want?" he asked, sneering just a bit at his pseudo-assigned partner.

"I was just think I've been putting you through the ringer with all the trips out to the Heartfilia Estate lately," Jose began. "I thought maybe I would ask Kageyama here to accompany me on tomorrow's trip out there."

Gajeel narrowed his eyes. Jose did not care about tiring his men out. He generally did not care about his men at all. Gajeel liked to think that their relationship was slightly different, but he wasn't entirely delusional. Was this some sort of test, perhaps? Was the man trying to gauge Gajeel's interest in returning to the Estate?

Gajeel shrugged his shoulders. "Do whatever you wanna do. I don't give a fuck," he said as he threw another piece of scrap into his mouth.

Jose waited for him to say more, but Gajeel didn't. "You didn't want to go yourself?" the man tried to clarify.

Now Gajeel knew his interest was being tested. He gave Jose a contemptuous look. "I'm sorry, did I look like I gave a fuck about that place?"

Jose stayed silent, clearly trying to make up his mind about something as Gajeel held his composure, continuing to eat at his pile. "Well, I guess that settles it," the man said, placing his hands down on the table. "Kageyama will accompany me tomorrow when I go and pick up my bride."

"Happy nuptials," Gajeel said with a roll of his eyes and a mouth full of medal.

Jose merely nodded and walked away from the table. Kageyama took his seat and Gajeel sighed. "What the fuck," he nearly whined.

"Shut up, medal head. Now what was that all about?" the young man asked with narrowed eyes.

Gajeel growled. "Call me that again, I dare you," he said, shifting his pile to the side of the table.

The shadow mage gave the slayer a challenging look. "Don't start games you can't finish. You're no match for my shadows," the man almost mocked.

Gajeel knew he was right. "Fuckin' shifter," he growled under his breath.

"I'm serious. What was all that about? Am I walking into an ambush or something here?"

Gajeel realized the younger man really did want to know if Gajeel was being relieved of guard duty because of some bad trap he could fall into. That made sense. It was still annoying though. "You know how he gets around his women," Gajeel gruffed. "And this one's not bad looking."

"Oh," the man replied, taking in the information.

"Just keep your dick to yourself and you'll be okay," Gajeel added.

Kageyama nodded and then melted into the shadows and left the area. Gajeel shuddered. He fucking hated when the kid did that. If nothing else, Jose and Kageyama being out of the area tomorrow would be a good chance for Gajeel to do a little reconnaissance work on where Lucy had gone. Although he knew the moment she was reported missing, it was going to be a shit storm.

The big man stood and bounded over to the job board. Scanning the papers he looked for one that might take him away for a few days and give him some time to take care of things on his end.

 _Needed: Bouncer for nightclub two-day special event. Magnolia. Can't be a pussy._

Gajeel cracked his knuckles and ripped the flyer off the board. Some nightclub named "Bartab" needed extra security for some crazy weekend block party they were throwing. He could do that. And it would get him away from Oak Town long enough to do some scouting on his journey.

Walking over to the bookkeeper he slammed the page on the table. "I'm taking this one," he said. The smaller man behind the bar looked like he was going to ask him a question and Gajeel added, "Don't talk to me." The man quivered slightly and nodded and simply recorded the page into the jobs book before handing it back to the slayer.

Gajeel grabbed it and shoved it in his pocket before making his way to the exit and hopefully, towards Lucy.


	9. Chapter 9

**Mistakes**

. . .

 _The entire situation frustrated the man as did this new member. His life had been rather perfect lately, the ideal combination of booze, brawls and broads. And then she had to show up and throw a wrench in it._

 _Laxus pulled his headphones up over his ears and turned up his music. Maybe his music could drown out his rage._

. . .

"You're kidding me," Laxus said in disbelief at the Rune Mage before him.

"I'm not. That would be quite out of character for me, besides," Freed sniffed.

The lightning slayer rolled his eyes before running his hands back down his face. "A Mate? What like marriage? I definitely do not want that," he said pointedly.

Freed shrugged, his red overcoat shifting slightly. "There's nothing that forces you to act. Just understand that you're likely to feel drawn to her, as you have been."

"You don't get it," Laxus said, lowering his voice. "Feeling drawn to her is an understatement. The whole 'not being forced to act' thing doesn't really line up with what I'm feeling."

Freed frowned at his leader's words. That certainly did not sound like the Mating process that had been recorded, but perhaps that had something to do with the fact that he was a human? Or perhaps a second generation dragon slayer?

"Isn't there some other explanation?" Laxus gruffed.

Freed tapped his finger to his lip as he thought through his research. He had been so sure that Laxus' symptoms had been caused by the Mating; it was the only thing that truly seemed to make sense. Of course there had been some information about dragons that attempted to steal other Mates, but he dismissed that out of hand. The only other dragon slayer was Natsu and he clearly wasn't Mated to their newest member. By the way he acted, he likely hadn't reached maturity in that arena yet.

The man finally sighed and shook his head, his green hair swaying slightly from side to side. "I'm sorry Laxus, that's the only thing that makes logical sense."

"Fuck," Laxus cursed and Freed winced slightly. "This really sucks."

Freed shrugged his shoulders. "Does it? She's a beautiful woman with a unique form of magic. Besides, completing the Mating should make your magic stronger."

That piqued Laxus' interest. "Make my magic stronger?"

Freed nodded his head. "In theory. If your lacrima works the same as a regular dragon Mating, when you've fully Mated, it should open your third origin."

Laxus couldn't help the grin that slowly spread across his face. He remembered what it had been like when he'd opened his second origin. Painful as fuck but the power that flowed through him afterwards. Shit, it had been like nothing he'd ever experienced before. It made taking S-class missions child's play. He could only imagine what having all three origins opens would mean. Most wizards could only dream of opening their second. All three was nearly unheard of.

"Maybe you're right. Besides, seems like it could have some pretty good benefits," Laxus smirked and Freed cleared his throat.

"I would hope that you put my research to use in a positive manner."

"Yeah, yeah," Laxus said, waving off his team member's concerns. He turned around to peer over the balcony as Freed excused himself to attend an appointment. He could see the mess of blonde hair sitting at the bar and he smiled. If this girl was a means to his third origin, he'd happily Mate her till she screamed his name in ecstasy.

. . .

Gajeel narrowed his eyes as an odd looking man with green hair entered the room. "Good afternoon," he said with a low bow and Gajeel nodded in return. "My name is Freed Justine, pleasure to make your acquaintance."

"Sure," Gajeel responded flatly. "You posted this ad?" he said, handing over the paper.

Freed took the advertisement and read it over before pinching the bridge of his nose. Of course Laxus had to edit it and add, "Can't be a pussy" before he sent it out for circulation.

"The majority of it, yes," Freed answered and Gajeel grunted. "Bartab will be throwing its annual block party this weekend. It starts Friday evening at 6 p.m. and generally doesn't wrap up until late Sunday afternoon. We'll need the extra manpower for the event." Freed eyed the large man up and down and Gajeel shifted uncomfortably under his gaze. "I think I'll put you out from working security with T-Bone and Grilled Chicken."

"Is this some kind of joke?" Gajeel gruffed, crossing his arms.

Freed waved his hands in front of his face. "No. Apologies, let me explain. Their real names are Kurd and Dred. Kurd's always been known as T-Bone but we had a waitress not too long ago that dubbed Dred Grilled Chicken when he kept constantly talking about his bodybuilding diet."

"Oh," Gajeel said with a roll of his eyes. These people were fucking weirdos. But whatever, he thought for sure he had picked up the faintest scent of Lucy somewhere in this town, so he'd take the job and the pay and put up with the rest.

"If there's no further questions, I'll expect to see you at 4 tomorrow afternoon. I appreciate you coming out a day early to check in."

"It's fine," Gajeel grunted before getting up and leaving the small office. He walked back out through what looked to be an elevated VIP area before heading down the stairs, past the dance floor and bar and back out onto the street. He sniffed the air and smiled. He absolutely could sense Lucy's presence in this chipper-fucking town. Seeing her again would make the whole thing worth it.

. . .

"I can't tell you where I am, Spetto," Lucy said, keeping her mouth close to the microphone to try and keep anyone from overhearing. "But I am fine. I promised I would tell you when I landed somewhere safe."

"Oh, Lucy. You know I won't tell. Please, I just want to know where you are."

Lucy shook her head. "No way. It's just too dangerous. Father's working with that creepy mage guy now. I wouldn't put it past him to try some messed up truth spell or whatever. I couldn't bear the thought of putting you in that danger, Spetto. Please, just trust me, okay?"

She heard the woman sigh on the other end of the line. "Oh, alright."

"So, has father even noticed that I'm gone?"

Spetto chuckled slightly on the other end of the line. "No. But please be careful. I did hear that that Guild Master was scheduled to arrive again this afternoon. I wouldn't be surprised if they call for you."

"Act surprised that I'm gone, okay?"

Spetto gasped. "What? You're not in your room right now?"

Lucy laughed. "Yeah, just like that. Thanks, Spetto."

"Love you, deary. Be safe."

"Love you too. And same goes for you," Lucy said before replacing the little device on its shelf at the end of the hallway behind the main Guildhall.

"Hiding some secret lover?" a deep voice asked, making Lucy nearly jump out of her skin. She clutched her chest before turning around and breathed a sigh of relief to see Laxus leaning against the wall just outside the little phone booth.

"Not quite. I'm sorry, did you want to use the phone?" she asked, trying to slide past him.

He kicked his foot off the wall and blocked her path. With his wide frame it didn't take much; just a few extra inches to block her path. "Nah, came here to talk to you."

"Oh," Lucy said with a bit of unintended surprise to her voice. She only knew the things she'd read about Laxus from Sorcerer's Weekly and the magazine painted him as a playboy that was less interested in getting to know women than knowing how to get in women. "Well, maybe we can have a drink in the Guild Hall?" Lucy said, hopeful that the man might just step aside.

"Too loud. Here's good," he said, taking a step forward. Lucy backed up and hit the little booth where she'd been sitting just a moment ago. With her being so close to the man, his scent started invading her space as her thoughts began to cloud. "I learned something interesting," Laxus said, his voice nearly a low growl as he moved closer to Lucy.

"What's that?" Lucy asked as she continued to suck in his scent.

Laxus placed one hand over her on the wall, caging her under his form. "I learned that you could be my Mate," he said, raising an eyebrow and waiting for her response. If she was receptive, that would determine how he might go about trying to court her.

Lucy frowned slightly. She looked up at the big man with a confused look. Gajeel already knew he was her Mate. Why was he asking it again? "I thought we'd already figured that out," she responded.

Laxus furrowed his brow. The woman's scent combined with the way she was looking at him was getting him seriously aroused and he was finding it hard to think. "What do you—what do you mean already?" he managed to ask as one hand snaked around her waist.

Lucy smiled. Oh, Gajeel was playing hard to get, was he? She's missed him so much, all she wanted was to be with him again. But she could play if that's what he was after. Her head dipped back slightly as his big hand pressed against her waist, his thumb resting just underneath her breasts. "Did you need a reminder?" she asked with lidded eyes.

Laxus smiled. This couldn't have gone any better than if he planned it. God he wanted this woman. Maybe Freed was right. Maybe he was truly meant to be Mated to her. "I'd love a reminder," he said before she pressed her body against his and kissed him.

He grabbed her firmly behind her neck and pulled her into him, moving his own lips against hers. His tongue tangled against her own before he was switching their positions, sitting back in the phone booth with her straddling him. His hands came up to caress her breasts over her clothes and she moaned. "Oh yes, I've missed you."

Somewhere in the recesses of Laxus' lust-hazed mind, he thought that what she was saying didn't make much sense. But there was something inside of him that was driving him towards this woman and he trusted Freed's research that it had to be the Mating. Perhaps they'd been destined to be together or met in a past life or some shit like that that made her say these things. Laxus didn't know and Laxus didn't particularly care, because she smelled a-fucking-mazing and if he wasn't careful, he'd end up fucking a second girl in the phone booth in the same week.

"Lucy," he groaned as she continued to grind her core against his. "You want this, don't you?" he asked as he began to suck the skin at her neck harshly. He pulled back slightly, his lip catching on something sharp that caused it to bleed, but his mind was too hazed to pay it any mind.

"I do, I do," she moaned her response as she pulled her hair aside and cocked her head, giving him a wide canvas on which to play.

He'd never felt this amazing in a woman's presence before. This had to be the Mating. His manhood raged at her actions as his fangs lengthened, ready to sink into her neck and make her his.

. . .

"Spetto, could you please let my lovely daughter know that her suitor is here to see her?" Jude asked the old woman. Spetto smiled and nodded, not giving away any indication that she knew Lucy hadn't been in the home for over 24 hours. Jude quickly grabbed her arm before she turned around to head towards Lucy's room and she froze, instantly nervous. "And can you make sure she's dressed appropriately this time?" he seethed.

"Yessir," Spetto nodded. He released her arm and she sped away towards Lucy's empty bedchamber. She knew she'd still have to go through the motions of checking first her room, then with the other servants to see where she might be in order to not draw suspicion. The entire exercise took the better part of thirty minutes before she returned to the trio of men. She looked warily at the new body guard, uncertain about why the bigger man from before wasn't with the Guild Master as usual.

"Sir," she said, trying to get his attention and pull him away from the conversation without causing a scene.

"What is it?" Jude huffed at her when she'd finally gotten him to step over.

"I'm sorry, Sir. But I cannot find her anywhere."

"Don't play games, old woman," Jude roiled. "There's no time for this."

Spetto did her best to look scared and confused. "I'm sorry, Sir. But I'm playing no games. I've asked all the other servants and looked everywhere. But I cannot find the Mistress."

"Is there a problem, Jude?" Jose called out from where he sat sipping tea on the other side of the library.

"No problem," Jude said, turning around with a reassuring yet fake smile. "Just trying to locate Lucy. She can be such a free spirit, as I'm sure you saw the other day."

"She's not in the house," Kageyama said with a yawn.

"What?" Jude sniped, a bit of his true self showing through.

"I said, she's not in this massive place," Kageyama repeated himself in a bored tone.

Jude laughed. "That ridiculous. Where could she have gone?"

"Dunno," the black-haired man said. "But she ain't here."

Jose turned to his new associate. "How do you know this?"

A tendril of black shadows stretched out from the young man's finger. "I know things about where I am," he said a bit cockily.

Jose stood and placed his teacup down. He walked over to Jude calmly and said, "You've got twenty-four hours to bring me my bride. Otherwise our deal is off. I don't enjoy waiting." Jude gulped and tried to make assurances but Jose waived him off, his usual eccentric nature melting into a rather macabre feel. Jose took a few steps before turning around and raising the corner of his mouth. "I suppose I could do you this one kindness. I will lend you my assistance just this one time in finding your daughter. The prospect of not having her for my own," he said in a way that made Spetto shiver. "Well, the consequences are simply something I'd rather not think about."

Jose turned to the shadow mage. "Kageyama, when we return to the Guild, gather three men to help you find my runaway bride."

The young man cracked his knuckles and smirked. "Understood."


	10. Chapter 10

**Friends**

. . .

 _Jose turned to the shadow mage. "Kageyama, when we return to the Guild, gather three men to help you find my runaway bride."_

 _The young man cracked his knuckles and smirked. "Understood."_

. . .

"He what?" the young shadow mage hissed as he slammed his fist on the bar in front of him. The man in charge of the bookkeeping quivered but answered again. Gajeel had left Oak Town, taking a job in bum-fuck Magnolia of all places.

"Why the fuck would he take a job all the way out there?" Kageyama muttered as he tried to make sense of his would-be teammates decision. "It's just a security gig for some party. Hardly seems like the type of request he'd be interested in."

The man behind the bar stayed quiet, much to Kageyama's frustration. But he knew the kid didn't know anything. He was sure that Gajeel probably just threw the flyer down without more than a word and took off. If anything, Kageyama was lucky the man let anyone know where he was going.

He cracked his knuckles in frustration, an old bad habit, and looked at the other two men he had picked out. There was no way that he was going to search out this girl without Gajeel's help. Kageyama had some pretty great abilities that made him an expert at reconnaissance, but that was only if he knew where his target was. It was easy to trail someone if you could blend into their shadow. But tracking someone down that was missing? That was Gajeel's speciality and no one else at the Guild could beat him.

"Come on," he said, motioning to his two teammates, Boze and Sue, to join him. "We'll head to where Gajeel is and try and find out what we can along the way."

"Can't we just pick someone else," Boze asked, hiking the fur trimmed jacket onto his shoulders a bit higher.

Kageyama approached the man swiftly. "Listen up. The Master put me in charge, do you understand? That means you don't get to question my decisions. If you do, you'll regret it. Now come on," he said and the pair fell into line without further argument.

. . .

Light streaming through her open curtain had Lucy groaning as she rolled over in her bed. She shook her head and immediately regretted it. As the room continued to spin, she tried to make sense of how she ended up back in her apartment.

She thought back to the previous day and the last thing she remembered was encountering Laxus in the phone booth as she tried to make a call to Spetto.

"I've heard things about him but," Lucy grimaced, "I doubt he would go so low as to drug a girl." She checked herself over and felt confident that nothing was amiss with her body.

"Maybe I'm a bit more exhausted from the last week's events than I thought," she reasoned to herself, trying to push aside her recent memory lapse. "I clearly just need to take it a little easier."

"Um, yeah you do," a female voice called out from the kitchen and Lucy jumped and promptly fell out of bed, caught up in a tangle of sheets and blankets.

A brunette wearing nothing but a bikini top and a pair of capris sauntered over to where the blonde was splayed out, groaning on the floor and gave her a sassy smile. "Is that your version of seduction? Can't say that it's working all that well for you."

"Cana? What are you doing here?" Lucy asked, recognizing the girl from the Guild.

The brunette took a seat on the sofa across from the bed and gave Lucy an interesting smile. "Laxus carried you out of the Guild yesterday all passed out. He totally tried to pass it off like nothing had happened, but I know that man's electric pass out abilities better than most."

Lucy's eyes widened and Cana quickly continued.

"He'd never do anything funny. Promise. He just uses it when he gets into an awkward situation and doesn't know what to do. Or, well, he did do it that one time to me when I asked him to," Cana mused with a bit of a smile.

"What are you saying, Cana?" Lucy asked, finally untangling herself from the sheets to discover that she was still wearing yesterday's outfit, shoes and all.

"Oh, I'm saying I followed him to your place, watching him promptly deposit you on that there bed and then take off like the idiot he is. I figured you'd be rightfully confused when you woke up, so I stayed the night."

"Thanks," Lucy responded, moving to sit up on the bed. "But that is weirdly creepy."

"Which part. Me or Laxus?"

Lucy threw up her hands. "I dunno, the both of you?"

Cana looked up at the ceiling as if in thought. "Yeah, that's probably fair. Anyways, girl you really look like you could let loose. You need some R&R. I can tell a girl that's been running and you are certainly one of them."

"How did you know?" Lucy asked.

"Saw it in the cards, let's just say. Anyways, every year on the first weekend of summer, Bartab throws its annual block party. The City lets them block off the entire area surrounding the club and they blast music and everyone is able to drink and just have fun. Come with me, you know you need it."

"I dunno," Lucy said a bit uncertain. She was feeling really exhausted after all. And the situation with Laxus just seemed really weird. She definitely did not want to run into him for a little while and this party seemed like the type of thing he would go to.

"Oh come on, it'll be fun. I know I'm asking you, but you don't really have a choice. You're going, kay?" Cana said with a bit of sass to her voice.

Lucy couldn't help but smile. She knew the woman across from her was trying to help her make friends and she couldn't fault her for that. Lucy had never had a true girlfriend before and the lure of companionship was too much to resist. "Okay, you've convinced me."

"I always win. I'll be here at eight tonight. In the meantime, get a nap girl, Laxus' lightning ain't no joke. You don't wanna start twitching involuntarily."

"Wait, what?" Lucy said, but the girl was already out the front door before she could finish her line of questions. Lucy shrugged. Maybe she was right. She did feel incredibly sleepy. And within seconds, her head was back on the pillow, her clothes and shoes still on as she fell into a deep sleep.

. . .

"I don't know what to tell you, Freed, but something wasn't right. She acted like she was drugged or something and she kept calling out someone else's name, Laxus explained to his friend.

Freed furrowed his brow in confusion. "I just don't understand it. The research was solid."

"I' not saying you're research wasn't correct. But maybe the people who wrote it was wrong. Or maybe," Laxus sighed. "Maybe it's cause I'm," he hesitated, "you know, different."

Freed nodded his head. "That could be. But I don't really see logically how that could make a difference. The dragon soul inside the mage is what controls the Mating drive. And whether it is contained within a lacrima or through the direct gift of a piece of that soul to the mage, the outcome should still be the same."

"I just know it wasn't right," Laxus repeated.

"So what happened? Did you start the Mating ritual with her?" Freed asked.

Laxus kicked his feet up on top of his desk and Freed grimaced slightly. He truly hated it when his leader showed disrespect for the surface of study. "Honestly. I have no idea. I sort of lost my own sense of self too."

"But that sounds like the Mating."

"Yeah, but I had enough of my faculties to know she wasn't calling for me, if that makes sense. So yeah, I have no clue what happened. But at some point, I knew it wasn't right and it had to stop."

"You put her to sleep, didn't you?" Freed asked with dismay.

"What else was I supposed to do? She was actively trying to have sex with me while calling out another man's name. It's not like I could take her back into the Guildhall like that. People would talk man," Laxus said, getting a bit defensive.

"So you knocked her out with your magic against her will. Seems like something people might also talk about."

"Yeah, I was careful not to let anyone see me when I left out the back. I'm not a total idiot. Give me some credit."

"Unfortunately, most of the credit I'd give you is because I know you've done this before. So you returned her to her apartment then?"

Laxus nodded his head. "I hope she doesn't remember anything. I really don't want to deal with that shit show. I think I'm just gonna stay away from her for a while. She makes me feel, I dunno, out of control."

Freed nodded his head but deep inside he couldn't help but feel like this was his leader resisting the Mating. Laxus was well known to be a playboy amongst Magnolia. Perhaps his leader just wasn't ready to settle down yet. If that were the case, he wouldn't push it unless ill effects he had read about started to settle in.

"It's really your choice at the end of the day," Freed said, deciding not to disclose everything he'd read to Laxus. He didn't want to force the man into something he wasn't ready for, not unless he had to.

Laxus uncrossed his legs and sat up. "Just sucks. I was really looking forward to opening my third origin."

Freed shrugged. "It's not like waiting a bit won't stop that from happening later on if it is meant to happen."

Laxus made a face. "Please don't start about fate or any of that shit. You know how I feel about that."

Freed sighed. "Anyways," he said, trying to change the subject. "Shall I go over the list of the new hires for this weekend's event?"

Laxus leaned back in his chair again and nodded. "Go ahead."

"Right. I've hired an additional four security guards to help man the outside limits and an additional four men to be placed in the crowd. Most of them are from the Twilight Ogre Guild and we've worked with them before. But there was one hire from out of town, a man named," Freed flipped his papers to refresh his memory on the name, "Gajeel Redfox from Oak Town."

Laxus bolted upright. "What did you say his name was?"

"Gajeel?" Freed repeated with a questioning look.

Laxus leaned back in his chair. "Looking forward to meeting this Gajeel Redfox," he said with a bit of a sneer.


	11. Chapter 11

**Enemies**

. . .

 _"Right. I've hired an additional four security guards to help man the outside limits and an additional four men to be placed in the crowd. Most of them are from the Twilight Ogre Guild and we've worked with them before. But there was one hire from out of town, a man named," Freed flipped his papers to refresh his memory on the name, "Gajeel Redfox from Oak Town."_

 _Laxus bolted upright. "What did you say his name was?"_

 _"Gajeel?" Freed repeated with a questioning look._

 _Laxus leaned back in his chair. "Looking forward to meeting this Gajeel Redfox," he said with a bit of a sneer._

. . .

Gajeel let out an audible growl, causing the people on the street around him to jump and move quickly out of his way. Lucy's scent was all over this fucking town but he couldn't pin point it exactly. It was as if she had been running around the place since she got here and while his senses were good, they weren't fucking inhuman.

Somewhere in the distance a clock tower rang out, letting him know that it was midnight. He clenched and unclenched his fists, trying to let the anger pass through him as he realized he needed to give up the search. He'd been awake for far too long now between driving to Lucy's Estate and then making his way here. If he was going to be any good at tomorrow's job request, he'd need some sleep.

Turning around, he made his way back to a small inn he saw during his search, intent on renting a bed and hopefully getting some rest.

. . .

The train pulled up to the station and Kageyama instantly hated the scenery.

"And just when I thought your face couldn't turn into any more of a scowl, I'm proven wrong," Sue mocked him.

He narrowed his eyes at his teammate and let his shadow extend out towards her just enough for her to notice. "Watch it," he seethed back at her. Weakness was not tolerated in Phantom Lord and letting someone get away with teasing you, that was weakness.

"Cool it, you two," Boze said under his breath. "Let's try not to make a scene. No need to get people looking at us when our job is to retrieve such sensitive cargo."

Kageyama rolled his eyes. He couldn't quite remember why he thought it was a good idea to bring these two along. He needed Gajeel and his nose to search out Lucy. As soon as he was able to meet back up with the Iron Slayer, he would find some way to ditch his two teammates.

"Come on," the shadow mage said as he grabbed his small duffle bag and made his way off the train.

"How are we supposed to find Gajeel? This town is huge. He could be anywhere," Sue complained.

"Don't be an idiot. He took that job for the block party tonight. Let's just find somewhere to wait out the time," Kageyama responded.

The team members nodded and the three of them made their way towards town, intent on finding some place to crash.

. . .

Lucy groaned as the light from her window filled her entire apartment. Perhaps those pink curtains had been a bad idea afterall. They didn't really block any of the light, which made it hard to sleep.

She rolled over and sighed. She certainly felt better, but she was certain she would have been able to sleep more if the room had been darker. Maybe it was a good thing though, her clothes felt stifling on her body and her feet were starting to itch because she still had her shoes on.

Lucy thought back to yesterday and what she could remember of its events. Making a phone call to Spetto, running into Laxus, waking up with Cana and being informed that Laxus had purposefully knocked her out and brought her to her apartment. She shook her head. Her new life was off to an awfully strange start.

In that moment, she couldn't help but think back to her old life and the events that had brought her to this point. The Iron Dragonslayer was fresh on her mind. She wondered if she had never met him whether she would have had the courage—or really just even a reason—for leaving the Estate. Her heart twinged as she thought about the big man. She didn't fully understand it, but she knew that they were connected somehow now and she hoped that he wouldn't be too hurt when he went back to the Estate to find her gone.

Somehow she vowed that she would find a way to contact him and let him know where she was when things calmed down. But with Jose being his Guild Master, she couldn't risk reaching out to him now. Instinctively she knew it might put the both of them in very real danger.

Stretching her arms up over her head, she finally pushed herself out of bed. Kicking off her clothes and shoes she decided to run herself a hot bath. Lucy looked at the clock in her kitchen and her eyes widened slightly. It was already well past one o'clock. That block party started in the early evening and Cana said she would be back to pick her up before it started. Something about not wanting to have to wait in lines or whatever. It didn't leave Lucy all that much time to get ready.

. . .

Gajeel stayed quiet as he laid in the bed of his hotel room. It was several doors down but the smells and sound were unmistakeable. Three members of his Guild, Kageyama, Boze and Sue, had entered the room and were talking quietly to themselves.

 _"I don't see the harm in going out into town just a bit,"_ Sue said.

 _"This isn't a field trip,"_ Kageyama responded. Gajeel could tell he was annoyed. _"We're here to find Gajeel and then get going on finding the girl. Shop on your own time."_

Gajeel's eyes widened at that. So the three of them were here to collect him? And find a girl? He squeezed his red eyes shut. There was no question that they meant Lucy. So Jose had gone back to the Estate and found her missing and sent Kageyama after her. Gajeel had been right to find an excuse to leave when he did then. Unfortunately, it seems as if the boy couldn't handle the job on his own.

"Fuck," Gajeel cursed under his breath. This was not what he needed. He looked at his watch. 2pm. He had two hours before he had to report for the start of the block party. He briefly considered just not showing for the job, but he couldn't risk it. The whole town apparently came out for this event and Gajeel was banking on Lucy showing too. If the three were out there looking for him, they could just as easily spot her, and that would have disastrous consequences.

This evening was going to be a lot more difficult than Gajeel had hoped for.

. . .

His plan was simple but he knew it would be difficult to execute, with a lot of it depending on luck. But he needed to get to Lucy first if she showed up to tonight's party. Given that this party drove people out of their homes in great numbers, he guessed that she would be here.

When he showed up at the appointed time, he checked in with the green haired mage who was entirely too uptight and was told which area he'd be patrolling. Thankfully he was being placed outside, which gave him a better shot at catching Lucy when she arrived.

An itch between the back of his shoulder blades had him turning around and locking eyes with a rather large, blond man. He knew of him, Laxus Dreyar, resident playboy of Fairy Tail. According to Gajeel's intelligence, the man was some sort of faux dragon slayer, having been implanted with something that gave him the same abilities and scent.

The iron slayer had to stop himself from growling at the man. Gajeel was of course in the midst of the Mating ritual with Lucy, having not finalized it before she ran away from the Estate. With her missing and him basically in heat, his protective instincts were in overdrive, especially when being approached by another male.

Laxus sensed it as soon as he went near the man. Freed had notified him when Gajeel had arrived as promised and put him at a post that was as far away from the main crowd as possible. If Laxus wanted to confront the man, he wanted to be able to do it with as few people around as possible. But for right now, he had no reason to approach him, it would only raise suspicion and the slayer was clearly on edge. No, instead, he would just watch from behind. He nodded at Gajeel, as if to indicate he was just doing rounds on his men and the man seemed to calm, but only slightly.

Laxus walked off, intent on coming back on a regular basis to keep eyes on his new hire.

. . .

"Come on, Luce!" Cana exclaimed as she dragged Lucy along the side streets of Magnolia. "I know a back way in to the block party so we don't have to wait in line with everyone else."

"Yeah but don't we need wristbands or something?" Lucy asked as she tried not to trip over herself.

Cana raised up two yellow wristbands with a smile. "It helps to have connections. Got these off Laxus a week or so ago. We're all set!"

Lucy smiled. Cana certainly did have her finger on the party pulse well in advance of everyone else. "But we gotta hurry," Cana said. "Otherwise they'll have one of the bouncers stationed there and he'll make us go around."

"Okay okay," Lucy huffed, increasing her speed to follow the brunette a bit better. After another few minutes of light jogging, the pair made it to wear Cana was hoping to slip through but one of the staff was already there patrolling.

"Awe damn," Cana cursed when she saw the bouncer. "I wonder if I can convince him to let us in. Luce, you up for a little strip teasing with me?" she said with an elbow the blonde's side but Lucy had all but frozen. "What's gotten into you?" the brunette asked but Lucy couldn't hear her.

Her gaze was fixed on the man she'd been dreaming about nonstop since their last encounter at the Estate. She ran forward and Cana hissed, trying to grab her hand but missing. "Gajeel!" Lucy exclaimed as she ran up to the man.

Gajeel could sense Lucy's scent increasing until he heard her voice. He turned around to see his Mate running at him and he all but grinned. She jumped into his arms as he lifted her up and pressed his lips against hers. His hands moved against her body on instinct and she moaned at the contact, as she did the same to him.

"Well that was unexpected," Cana said, slipping one of the wristbands on. "But good job, Luce! Way to go for it!" she said as she walked past, slipping the other wristband into Lucy's pocket while she was still tangled up with the bouncer.

"I'll see you in there Luce," Cana yelled back as she ran past the pair. Gajeel didn't even notice the card mage, he was so caught up in the woman who currently had her legs wrapped around him.

In her haste to get inside the party without being seen, Cana very nearly ran right into Laxus. She tripped over where the man had been hiding and winced as she prepared to hit the floor. But the lightning slayer caught her just in time and set her right. "Uh hey Laxus. Thanks for the wristbands."

Laxus narrowed his eyes at her. "Yeah, but I told you to come in the main entrance with everyone else so we could get an accurate count."

"Yeah, I did. I was just checking out what was going on over here, that's all," she lied.

Laxus rolled his eyes. "Just go," he said. He had bigger things to worry about than his fuck-buddies antics. "Wait," he said, grabbing her wrist lightly to stop her. "I gave you two bands. Is there someone else that snuck in."

Cana grinned. "Yeah, but Lucy's currently busy with your new hired hand."

"What?" Laxus almost growled.

"Nice job, by the way. I love that you're trying to give us girls some more variety. Anyways, bye!" Cana said as she pulled her wrist free and ran off to the party.

Laxus hurried over to where he'd stationed Gajeel and true to Cana's word, he found Lucy wrapped around him with the man's tongue down her throat. He hesitated momentarily. If what Freed said was right, this woman was his Mate. And while he'd said he would back off for now, that didn't mean he wanted his Mate running off with another dragon slayer.

He let out a warning growl and Gajeel sensed it, immediately putting Lucy down and pulling her behind him. He turned to face Laxus and took a protective stance. "I don't know why you're threatening me and my Mate, man," he growled back. "But you sure got some balls."

" _You're_ Mate?" Laxus was confused. Why was Gajeel saying that Lucy was his Mate? Freed was sure that Lucy belonged with him. "She belongs with me!" he yelled back, taking his own fighting stance.

Gajeel turned to look at Lucy briefly and she shook her head. That was all the information Gajeel needed. "You're confused," he said, baring his fangs slightly. "She's not your Mate. What you're feeling is the Conquest."

Laxus furrowed his brow. The Conquest? Freed had never mentioned that to him. But before he had the chance to make up his mind on how he was going to proceed, a man appeared between the two of them. Laxus' eyes widened. He never missed anyone's approach but he'd somehow missed this man's scent until he was right on top of him.

"As cute as this little conversation is, it appears like you and me need to have a little chat, Black Steel," Kageyama said as tendrils of shadow danced off his body.

"Shit," Gajeel cursed as he looked behind him to see two of Kageyama's teammates. They were blocked in. "Play along," he whispered to Lucy under his breath.

She nodded her head, trusting in her Mate but entirely uncertain of what was happening. "What are you doing here, Kageyama?" Gajeel seethed.

"Looking for you, actually," the young man said with a bored expression. He looked over his nails before adding, "Ever since a certain princess went missing, the Master sent me out to find her. But I knew I couldn't go it alone so I came looking for my partner."

"We're not partners," Gajeel spat. How much had he seen, he wondered. The iron slayer kicked himself internally for being so careless about his relationship with Lucy. He'd just had no control over it. But if Kageyama saw them together, then there was about to be a lot more trouble.

Kageyama shrugged. "Whatever you say. But imagine my surprise to find that you've already located the girl. Great job, Gajeel." He turned towards Laxus and added, "Do we need to dispose of him?"

Gajeel breathed a sigh of relief. So Kageyama hadn't seen anything compromising. "No, he was just leaving," he said through gritted teeth.

"If you think you're taking Lucy with you—" Laxus started but Lucy interrupted him.

"It's okay, Laxus. What he says is true. I'm engaged to their Guild Master. I'll go with them." The blond gave her a confused look. Lucy hoped she could convince the man to back down.

Laxus didn't understand. Lucy was engaged to Jose Porla? But she'd been kissing Gajeel just a minute ago and he was claiming she was his Mate. This entire situation was fucked up. He looked between Gajeel, Kageyama and the two other mages behind the pair and realized pretty quickly that he was outnumbered.

"Do whatever the fuck you want," Laxus said, relaxing his body from his fighting stance and turning around to leave.

Kageyama turned to look at Gajeel. "You're just going to let the bastard leave? After seeing us?"

Gajeel gave him a tired look. "Don't be a fucking idiot. We came here for her and we've got her. No reason to cause a scene. Can't you sense that guy's power? He wields lightning. Neither of us would have made it through a fight with him.

Gajeel was right. The iron slayer was highly conductive and Kageyama, while not susceptible to physical attacks, energy attacks wreaked havoc on his shadows. "Let's go then," the man agreed. "We've got a hotel room back by the station. We can stay there for the night and then catch the train back tomorrow."

Gajeel shook his head. "They'll be looking for us if we stay in town. We've got to leave tonight," he said.

"Who?" Kageyama asked.

"Who else, her new Guild," Gajeel said, holding Lucy's hand up so that the man could see her pink stamp.

"Shit," Kageyama said upon seeing the mark. "Those fuckers are crazy. I don't wanna deal with them."

"Then we've gotta move out now. Go get your shit from your room and meet me at the edge of town."

Kageyama looked between Lucy and Gajeel. "Are you sure you can handle her on your own."

Gajeel growled and lunged at the man, grabbing the scruff of his shirt. "Call me incompetent again, I fucking dare you," he seethed.

Kageyama put his hands up in surrender and Gajeel let go of him roughly. "Alright. We'll meet you at the opposite side of the train tracks in thirty minutes." And with that, the three of them ran off towards the motel.

Gajeel quickly turned back to Lucy. "Is there anyone here that will protect you?" Lucy was stunned but Gajeel shook her lightly. "There's no time for you to be freezing up. Think, Lucy. Who can you run to?"

Lucy shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts. She winced. Gajeel wasn't going to like it, but it might work. "Laxus. He thinks I'm his Mate. If I asked him to protect me, I think he would."

Gajeel growled. "The man wants you as his Conquest. I can't let you go to him."

"His what?" Lucy asked.

"His Conquest. It's what happens to rival slayers when a Mating is initiated. They steal other Mates to create a brood." His eyes were blood red and Lucy could see just how frustrated he was.

She hesitated. "Gajeel, I'm strong," she said, looking at him in the eyes. "I won't let him take away what we have. I can explain it to him." She looked sad. "And I'm afraid it's the only choice we've got."

Gajeel sighed feeling entirely defeated. He wanted to scream his rage but he knew he had to keep it together. The most difficult part was yet to come. "Fine. Then go. I promise I'll be back for you."

Lucy leaned in to kiss him briefly before breaking off at a sprint towards where Laxus had gone.

Gajeel growled as he watched her leave before forcing himself to turn in the opposite direction.

END CHAPTER 11

. . .

 **OOPS sorry this update took so long! Here have an extra long chapter to make up for it! Love you all!**


	12. Chapter 12

**ANNOUNCEMENT**

Musicera has officially become

 **IVY WILD**

A lot of you may be wondering whether I'm ever going to update my stories and all I can say is

 **YES!**

But in a new way

To keep up to date on all my latest writings follow me on instagram!

 **IVYWILDAUTHOR**

and if you want advanced reader copies of my upcoming stuff look for the instagram post about joining my new facebook group

 **The Renegades**

Sending all of my amazing fanfiction followers the most love possible

You were all the first ones to encourage me and help me put my stuff out there and keep writing

I'll love you forever for that

xoxo


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